Leeds County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The county was first surveyed in 1792 as one of the nineteen counties created by Sir John Graves Simcoe in preparation for the United Empire Loyalists to settle here. The county took its name from Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds; the "Leeds" of the Dukedom referred to Leeds in West Yorkshire, England and not for Leeds, Kent, England. In 1850, Leeds County merged with Grenville County to create the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. This county was home to several townships as well as the city of Brockville.
The county was originally home to eleven townships, which have since amalgamated into five larger townships: Rideau Lakes, Leeds and the Thousand Islands, Elizabethtown Kitley, Athens and Front of Yonge townships. The original townships were as follows:
In the year 1998, The townships of Bastard, North Crosby, South Burgess, South Crosby and South Elmsley amalgamated to become Rideau Lakes township and the townships of Lansdowne, Leeds, and most of Escott township (the southern portion) amalgamated to form Leeds and the Thousand Islands township. Elizabethtown and Kitley townships amalgamated to become Elizabethtown-Kitley in 2001. The northern portions of Escott and Yonge townships became Athens township in 2001, while the southern part of Yonge township became Front of Yonge township.
Coordinates: 44°35′N 76°00′W / 44.583°N 76.000°W