Lambton House Proprietors

Following the closure and partial demolition of Lambton House in 1988, many original documents have been lost as a result. This page is a work in progress to recover that information, and has been compiled through various archival records such as the Toronto City Directory and historical newspapers.

List of Lambton House Proprietors:

c. 1847-1865: W.P. Howland & F.A. Howland*

1866-1871: John Black

1890-1891: Isaac M. Scott

1892-1893: William McFarlane

1894-1896: Isaac M. Scott

1897: Albert Shaw

1898-1903: Thomas "T.W." Wilson Smith,

wife Mary Smith

1903-1906: John Harris

1907-1913: R. J. Hannah

1913-1914: William M. Robinson

1914-1924: Peter F. Downey,

wife Elizabeth Downey

1924-1925: Elizabeth Downey

1925-1926: John J. McCarthy

1926-1935: Elizabeth Downey

1936-1939: Louis Epstein

1940-1947: Roger G. Fraser & Clifford P. Thompson

1948-1951: Frank R. Hawkhisstone, J. Stuart Adam, & G. Leslie Adam

1952-1965: J. Stuart Adam & G. Leslie Adam

1966: J. Stuart Adam

1967-1984: TBC**

1985-1988: Peter & Marie Vaday

1988: Developer Villa Otthon

*Period prior to City Directory records, based on ownership to land on which Lambton House sits, we cannot say for certain precisely who would have been operating the tavern during this time.

** To be confirmed, City Directory records no longer states the business proprietors in its records.

T.W. Smith's Lambton House, c. 1898, copyright Heritage York.

R. J. Hanna's Lambton House, c. 1907, copyright Heritage York.

Names Used to Refer to "Lambton House": ***

1866-1869: Lambton House

1870-c.1891: Lambton Hotel

1892-1899: Lambton House

1915: Hotel Lambton

1916-1947: Lambton Hotel

1948-1960: Lambton Tavern Hotel

1961-1967: Lambton Tavern Ltd.

1968-1989: Lambton Tavern

***based on listings in the City of Toronto Directory

Original Lambton Tavern sign that hung outside of building, c. 1961. photo by Sophie Langille

Examples of Archival Documents Used:

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Excerpt from 1847 Memorial documenting the sale of land between Thomas Cooper and William P. Howland.

City of Toronto Directories

A complete list of digitized directories can be found here through Toronto Public Libraries.

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Mitchell & Co.'s General Directory for the City of Toronto and gazetteer of the counties of York and Peel for 1866", 1866. TPL, Baldwin Collection of Canadiana, Public Domain.

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Toronto City Directory, Might Directory Co., 1898. TPL, Baldwin Collection of Canadiana, Public Domain.

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Map and closeup of: South West Part of York, 1878 which indicates the title to the land upon which Lambton House sits. 1878. "University of Toronto Map & Data Library", Toronto, ON. https://maps.library.utoronto.ca/datapub/digital/NG/historicTOmaps/1878yor-m-york-swf.jpg.

FamilySearch.org

A dynamic resource that combines tax assessments, censuses, marriage records, death certificates and graves.

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"Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-X3CV-3989-X?cc=4130007 : 18 July 2022).

"Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMJ9-K6J : 8 March 2021), Thomas Wilson Smith and Mary Ann Marshall, 27 Mar 1878; citing registration , Etobicoke, York, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,863,651.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers

Access through the Toronto Public Library to view digitized historical newspapers.

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Excerpt confirming the death of Peter F. Downey, "Deaths", The Globe, (Toronto: ON), May 27, 1924, pg. 12.

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"Osgoode Hall News: Court of Appeal", The Globe, (Toronto: ON), May 9, 1933, p. 8.