Historical Flamborough

Established in 1792, the Township of Flamborough was named after a prominent geographical formation, the Flamborough Head, and the Town of Flamborough in East Yorkshire, England. In 1816, Flamborough Township became a part of the newly formed Halton County. With the massive reorganisation of the county system completed in 1854, Flamborough was divided into two separate townships, East and West Flamborough, each with their own reeve, township hall, etc. Included within East Flamborough was the population centre called Waterdown. The name reflected the community’s close proximity to the location where Grindstone Creek tumbles over the Niagara Escarpment. Originally known as Great Falls, the area was a significant industrial site in the early 19th Century as several mills were located there to harness the power of the water flow to operate a number of mills. Although no specific documentation to prove it exists, it is believed that Waterdown was named by Ebenezer Griffin. Griffin settled in the area about 1832 and laid out village lots to begin the community to be known as Waterdown.

One of West Flamborough Township’s main features was the waterway now known as Spencer Creek. In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the water flow of the creek was sufficiently strong to power a large number of mills. Particularly in what is now the Greensville area, the Honourable James Crooks established a concentration of mills of various types to harness that water power. The industrial and residential community came to be known as Crook’s Hollow, and it included saw mills, grist mills, flour mills and one of the first large scale paper mills in Upper Canadian history. Now virtually disappeared, Crook’s Hollow was one of the dominant industrial and commercial centres in the history of Upper Canada during the 1820’s and 1830’s. Spencer Creek as it flows through West Flamborough townships provides the water for two of the Hamilton area’s most historic and scenic waterfalls, Webster’s and Tew’s Falls. Both waterfalls are located along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, just downstream from the historic village of Bullock’s Corners, location of the still standing West Flamborough Township Hall.

Immediately west of West Flamborough was another of the early townships of the area, Beverly Township. Established in 1792, Beverly Township took its name from the Town of Beverly, located in East Yorkshire, England, 12 kilometres north west of Kingston upon Hull. Beverly Township was brought into the County of Wentworth in 1854. When the Regional Municipality was created, the Townships of East and West Flamborough were combined with the former Township of Beverly to form the new Town of Flamborough. The Town of Flamborough was amalgamated with five other municipalities in 2001 to form the “New” City of Hamilton