Captain Robert Scott, RN, taken at Esquimalt in 1891 (one of many of Kathleen O’Reilly’s suitors).
IMAGE C-03906 COURTESY OF ROYAL BC MUSEUM, BC ARCHIVES.
It has long been believed that most of the old-country traditions established in the colony in the early years were introduced by the English or the Scots. The Irish element, however, was also strongly represented. They were equally loyal to queen and country, and equally intent upon preserving the style of life they had enjoyed at home.
The first Irishman to reside permanently on Vancouver Island was Joseph Despard Pemberton. He was followed by many others, among them Peter O’Reilly.
O’Reilly was born in 1828, the son of Patrick O’Reilly of Ballybeg House, County Meath, and Mary Blundell of Ince Hall, Lancashire. The O’Reillys and the Blundells were staunch Catholics but, in later life, Peter showed a distinct independence of character when he decided, just prior to leaving Ireland for Canada, to forsake the Roman Catholic Church and become a Protestant. Undoubtedly his decision came as a shock to his family. He kept it to himself, however, rather than use it to gain favour with the strong element of Protestant gentry in the young colony to which he was heading.
O’Reilly, who had received his education in Ireland, had spent seven years as an officer with the Irish Revenue Police (later known as the Royal Irish Constabulary). At the age of thirty, he decided to leave his homeland and try his luck in the new world.
He arrived in 1859 with a letter of introduction to James Douglas and, in April, he was offered an appointment as justice of the peace and stipendiary magistrate for the District of Langley. Later that same year, he took over the District of Fort Hope with responsibility also for Similkameen and Rock Creek until May 1862.
In subsequent years, O’Reilly’s career skyrocketed. He served as magistrate and gold commissioner in the Cariboo, Kootenay-Columbia, and Omineca, and was appointed to the legislative council of British Columbia in 1863, where he served until 1871. In 1881, he was offered the prestigious position of Indian Reserve Commissioner for British Columbia.
In a confidential report on his officers, Douglas once described O’Reilly as “a gentleman of excellent character, high moral worth, an able, active resolute Magistrate,” so O’Reilly was highly thought of and a definite asset to the colony.45 It is interesting to discover, however, that early in his career he had a run-in with Captain William Moore, a well-known Fraser River steamboat captain. Captain Moore obviously did not think highly of O’Reilly, as can be seen from a letter he wrote to the editor of the Colonist:
We have up here one O’Rilley [sic] . . . a justice of the peace—who holds the law in the palm of his hand. Some days ago I ordered one of my men to open a barrel of pork for the boat’s use—which pork belongs to the boat’s stores. The said O’Rilley ordered the pork to be seized. The next day he acknowledged that he had no right to seize the pork, but fined me $40 and one of my men $20. Upon asking him what the fine was for he refused to make any explanation. I am, therefore, led to believe that this is a new style instituted by the said O’Rilley for raising the wind.46
In general, O’Reilly seemed to be popular with the miners, managing to keep the peace and have his position of authority recognized and respected. Maybe his initial announcement upon arrival in the Kootenay area helped him to gain this respect; it had certainly dispelled any problems from potential trouble-makers. He apparently said, “Now, boys, there must be no shooting, for if there is shooting, there will surely be hanging.”47
In those early years, O’Reilly spent much of his time on the mainland, but he did manage to make occasional visits to Victoria and was often a dinner guest at Fairfield House, the home of the Trutch family. He had known Joseph Trutch for some time. Trutch had also arrived in the colony in 1859, and had spent time surveying the rural lands of the lower Fraser River, where the two men had first become acquainted.
It was at one of the Trutch dinner parties in Victoria that Peter O’Reilly met Joseph’s sister, Caroline, who was visiting the colony from England, with her mother. Caroline had already heard of the handsome Peter O’Reilly from his exploits on the mainland, but this was the first occasion at which she had been introduced to him. It was love at first sight for both.
Caroline was the youngest child of William Trutch and Charlotte Barnes. She was exceptionally bright, having learned to read at the age of four, and she excelled at music. She also had a great love for the outdoors and enjoyed horseback riding.
Caroline’s life had been far from ordinary up until her meeting with Peter O’Reilly. She was widely travelled and had already sampled life in many parts of the world. On one occasion she had visited a married sister in Madras, India, and en route had stopped in Egypt and Malta. She had especially liked the gaiety of life in India under the Raj, and her beautiful singing voice had been in great demand at many social events. Although she had revelled in the elegant balls and the exciting and colourful entertainment, Caroline had also been witness to numerous atrocities during the Sepoy Mutiny, an uprising of Indian troops against their British masters.
After Caroline left India, she travelled through Europe and returned briefly to England to stay with her mother shortly after her father’s death. She then decided to accompany her mother to Vancouver Island from where, in 1860, her brother Joseph had written such glowing reports. “Come and make your home with us. There is no more trouble in coming out here than you had in going to Madras.”48
However, for Caroline, adventure was paramount, so even their journey to Victoria had proved eventful. They visited St. Thomas in the West Indies and crossed the Isthmus of Panama in scorching temperatures. As they steamed into the Gulf of California, the sight of fleeing refugees had merely emphasized the tragedy taking place in the United States. It was late 1861 and the American Civil War would soon be in its second year.
Following the dinner party where Caroline and Peter met, they continued a courtship that ultimately led to their marriage on December 15, 1863. Their wedding day was picturesque, a brilliantly beautiful sunny morning shining on a sparkling world of recently fallen snow. Caroline was given away by her brother, and the ceremony, attended by many, took place in Christ Church Cathedral. A wedding breakfast was held at Fairfield House, followed by a honeymoon in Esquimalt.
The following spring, Peter returned to his duties in the Cariboo, and Caroline stayed with her mother in Victoria. Later, Peter and Caroline lived in New Westminster, and their first son was born there in 1866. The O’Reillys’ social calendar in those early years was full, and possibly a preview of their later years in Victoria. As mentioned in The Recollections of Susan Allison, Caroline O’Reilly was one of the society leaders in New Westminster during that time period.
Some of the O’Reilly summers were spent at Yale on the Fraser River while winters were whiled away in Victoria. The O’Reillys now dwelt on an arm of Victoria harbour, at Point Ellice. Three more children (two daughters and a son) were born to them at Point Ellice House, which still stands today, one of the last homes remaining from those colonial days.
Captain Robert Scott, RN, taken at Esquimalt in 1891 (one of many of Kathleen O’Reilly’s suitors).
IMAGE C-03906 COURTESY OF ROYAL BC MUSEUM, BC ARCHIVES.
Caroline’s experiences travelling the globe were a great asset to her when she became Mrs. Peter O’Reilly. As the wife of a gold commissioner, she sometimes accompanied her husband to the interior, enjoying the outdoor life. Even before her marriage, she had taken part in mainland events, not the least of which had been the official opening in the fall of 1863 of the Alexandra Suspension Bridge, for which her brothers, John and Joseph Trutch, were largely responsible.
A loving husband, a devoted family, and a whirl of high-society life were now part of Caroline’s agenda. However, her life was also not without tragedy. In 1876, she experienced the double trauma of the deaths of both her seven-year-old daughter, Amy, and her mother. Point Ellice House became a house of mourning.
Like most upper-class families, the O’Reillys sent their children to England to be educated but, being devoted parents, Peter and Caroline travelled back and forth on several occasions to visit their offspring. Kathleen grew into a young woman of considerable beauty. Following their education abroad, the three children returned to their home and became a part of the social scene in Victoria.
During the 1880s, Point Ellice House was at the centre of much social activity, with winter skating parties, summer picnics, riding, boating, lawn tennis, and cricket. The O’Reillys’ lawn, which curved down to the banks of the harbour, was the scene of the first lawn tennis tournament in Victoria.
The yearly Gorge regattas on Queen Victoria’s birthday were times of open house at Point Ellice. Naval personnel were frequently entertained there, as were the influential and important members of Victoria society. Not only had one of Caroline O’Reilly’s brothers, Joseph, held the position of BC’s first lieutenant-governor from 1871 to 1876, but her other brother, John, had married the sister of Anthony Musgrave, one-time governor of the colony. The families were therefore well ensconced in the high society of the day. Perhaps the highlight of the O’Reillys’ social life was when they had Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and his wife to dinner in 1886.
In February 1897, Kathleen was formally presented at court in Ireland to Queen Victoria’s representative, His Excellency Lord Cudogan. This event was another crowning achievement for any socially inclined colonial family in those days. Needless to say, beautiful Kathleen was much sought after. Her numerous beaux included a young naval officer named Robert Scott, who later became famous for his tragically unsuccessful race against Norwegian Roald Amundsen to the South Pole. While he was stationed at Esquimalt on board HMS Amphion in early 1890, he was introduced to the O’Reilly family, and he spent much time at their home; he was ostensibly visiting the family, but his many visits were probably because of his interest in Kathleen. However, competition was stiff for the lady’s attention. She was also being courted by a Captain Stanhope, heir to the earldom of Chesterfield, a gentleman who proposed marriage to Kathleen and waited for her for some time. In any event, Scott appears to have carried on a long friendship with Kathleen, and their relationship can be traced through postcards and letters. Just how serious their romance was has never been determined.
Despite her strikingly good looks and her many suitors, Kathleen never married, remaining a spinster until her death in 1945 at the age of seventy-eight. As a young woman, she had had so many men vying for her attentions that she hardly knew which way to turn, but she obviously had her reasons for turning them all down. Living in wealth and style, with everything she could desire, meant that it had never been necessary for her to accept a marriage proposal merely for reasons of stability and security. It would seem, therefore, that she never found the one true love she sought, a love that might have compared with the one she had seen her parents share.
Even the social activities of which she was very much a part appeared on occasion to bore Kathleen. In letters to her father when he was absent on business in late 1891, she described numerous social events occurring in one week in Victoria, many of which she attended through necessity rather than choice.
One event that did excite her was the appearance of actress Sarah Bernhardt in Vancouver. This performance, however, coincided with the wedding of Jessie Dunsmuir to Sir Richard Musgrave, which was to take place in Victoria. Kathleen was forced to choose between these two important events and, much to everyone’s surprise, she chose to attend the Bernhardt performance. The snub, be it intentional or not, was perhaps an indication of that old, deep-rooted class distinction. The O’Reillys were already a part of the establishment of Victoria, while the Dunsmuirs had bought their way in with their wealth. Inevitably, however, as the years passed, great wealth began to play an equal part in acceptance into the elite.
Letters from Caroline to Peter and those he wrote in reply, as well as many written by Kathleen to her father or to of both her parents when she was in England, give a clear picture of life at Point Ellice House. The O’Reillys were a family who saved such letters—a valuable legacy of many pioneering families.
A particularly interesting selection of correspondence in the O’Reilly Collection comes from Lady Macdonald (later Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe). She recalled with pleasure the time she and her husband, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, had spent in Victoria and the many friends they had made there. She appeared to take an active interest in the lives of the O’Reillys, sympathizing with them at times of mourning and congratulating them on happy events.
In one later letter to Kathleen, in which she asks Miss O’Reilly to “kindly look after a young naval officer who is coming out from England to Esquimalt,” she remarks that his family are “charming people, a very old family, [who] have a beautiful place not far from Warwick.”
I told [them] how hospitable were the British Columbians, and what dear friends I had found there, and how sure I felt [their] son would be made welcome on that distant shore . . . You do me a very great favour if you will be good to Mr. Reginald West. I ask your father to look him up.
I shall be most grateful, for I know what an introduction to the O’Reillys means on Vancouver Island.49
Down through the years, Caroline O’Reilly upheld the graceful way of life at Point Ellice House, firmly believing in family traditions and the ties that would always bind her family together. During her husband’s long absences from home, she was the one who remained at the centre of family life and always managed to make Christmastime special for her children. She also found time to devote her energies to church matters, being an active member of the Anglican Church. She founded a maternity home in Victoria, as well as supporting the British Columbia Benevolent Society and the Royal Jubilee Hospital in its formative years.
In April 1885, Caroline and Peter O’Reilly were the victims of a serious accident in Victoria. The incident was reported in the Daily Colonist the next day:
The very spirited horse took fright and as a portion of the harness became disarranged, it dashed down the street at terrific speed.50
The carriage overturned and its occupants were thrown into a ditch at the corner of Herald Street. Caroline was not hurt, but her husband sustained serious injuries that left him unable to walk for some eighteen months. In fact, he never fully recovered his previous robust health.
In late 1899, Caroline herself fell victim to a severe illness for which there seemed to be no cure. Peter decided to take her to England to seek better medical treatment and also to visit her brothers who, both widowers, were living there. During the sea voyage, Caroline’s illness became worse and she died soon after the ship docked in Liverpool on December 23, 1899. She was buried at Cheriton in Kent. Peter spent the remainder of his life at his home in Victoria, his only interests being his garden, his investments, and the companionship of Kathleen. He died in 1905 at age seventy-seven.
Of the four O’Reilly children, daughter Mary Augusta (1869–76) died as a child. The beautiful Charlotte Kathleen (1867–1945) never married and has remained a source of fascination for historians intrigued by her numerous love affairs.
Francis Joseph (1866–1941) became a civil engineer, married Jessica Blakiston in 1914, and had two sons, Peter and Thomas. Arthur also married in 1914, his chosen bride being Mary Beresford Windham. The couple had one son, John.
Mary (Windham) O’Reilly lived at Point Ellice House until her death in 1963 and could still recall in later years the many changes that had occurred along the Gorge during her lifetime. Her memories included the days of leisurely boating and garden parties, as well as the coming of sawmills and other industries that ultimately destroyed the peace and tranquillity of the area. Mary O’Reilly was a member of the BC Historical Association and took an active interest in Victoria’s history.
The O’Reillys, perhaps more than any other pioneer family, enjoyed a special and valued position in Victoria’s early society. Primarily this was because they had connections with many important people; their social calendar was always full.
From 1859 until 1880, BC’s first twenty-one years, Peter O’Reilly held high government positions. He therefore played an enormous part in steering the course of history and, upon his retirement as county court judge in 1881, his new appointment as an Indian Reserve Commissioner meant that for the next sixteen years, he was also involved in the establishment and revision of Indian reserves throughout the entire province. He served as a member of the legislative council from 1864 until 1870 and had voted strongly in favour of Victoria becoming the capital of BC in 1868.
O’Reilly’s success in the province substantiated the importance of that strong Anglo-Irish group of colonists who came to Vancouver Island in the late 1850s. Ever optimistic, they showed their faith and belief in Canada’s future and, like their many fellow immigrants, became empire-builders in their adopted land.
Another reason for the importance of the O’Reillys comes from their house. Although by no means extravagant in size or design, it still stands in its original charming setting. Peter O’Reilly purchased Point Ellice House, built in 1861, for the sum of fourteen thousand dollars from Charles W. Wallace in 1868. As his family grew, O’Reilly added to and improved the original home, turning it into the house it is today. The last additions were dated 1889.
The house has witnessed many changes as industries have gradually encroached upon that once-elite residential area. Through it all, the O’Reilly family proudly refused to be forced out of their original acreage.
Point Ellice House is now owned by the provincial government, after over a century of being family owned, and is open to the public. It remains as a monument to that bygone era, a reminder that the Gorge was one of the most fashionable areas in Victoria.
Walking in the O’Reilly garden today is rather like taking a step back in time. There, among the curving brick and gravel paths, with the sweet aromas of spring lilac or summer jasmine in the air, one momentarily forgets that many decades have come and gone since Caroline O’Reilly herself strolled those paths with her husband and planned their garden. It could quite easily still be a hundred years ago. A boatload of visitors could be disembarking at the boathouse, about to stroll up the rolling green lawn to attend a croquet or tennis party and later to be entertained to tea.
The O’Reillys brought a certain distinction and a definite style to the upper-class social scene of early Victoria. Peter’s original family connections in Ireland, his marriage into the Trutch family, their political, governmental, and naval connections, and being a part of social events such as a court presentation set them a little apart from the others in terms of grandeur and importance.
They added a touch of icing to the aristocratic cake.