Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks

and

St. Paul's 1785 H.M. Chapel of the Mohawks

There are two plaques at this location.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photos by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted April, 2010

Plaque Location

The City of Brantford
On Mohawk Street .5 km east of Birkett Lane

Coordinates: N 43 07.469 W 80 14.103

Plaque Text

Originally called St. Paul's, this chapel was the first Protestant church in Upper Canada and is now the oldest surviving church in Ontario. Built by the Crown in 1785, it was given to those Mohawk Indians led by Joseph Brant who had supported the British during the American Revolution. Their choice cost them their lands in New York. To compensate for the loss the Mohawks were granted 307,560 ha on the Grand River complete with two mills, a school and chapel. Although the church has undergone many alterations, it stands as a reminder of the important role played by the Loyalist Mohawks in the early settlement of Ontario.

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Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2004

Plaque Text

This chapel, the first Protestant church in Ontario, was built by the Crown for the Mohawks of the Six Nations Iroquois who settled here in 1794. It replaced the Queen Anne Chapel (1712) at Fort Hunter, New York, which the Mohawk lost, along with their lands, as a result of their alliance with the British during the American War of Independence. The church was dedicated to St. Paul in 1788 by the Reverend John Stuart. In 1904 it was given Royal designation by Edward VII. It is the only Royal Chapel in North America.

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Related Ontario plaque
Christ Church, Her Majesty's Chapel Royal of the Mohawk

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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted February 8, 2011
This church was designated "His Majesty's". Curiously, historic royal designations vacillate with a change in the gender of later monarchs. In an effort to remain contemporary, the practice obscures the original title, and is not historically accurate. In this case, the text deftly avoids the issue by using "H.M". The plaque asserts this is the only royal chapel in N.America, yet there's another one right in Ontario: Christ Church near Deseronto. There's a link to it, above. -Wayne

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