Francis Nicholson was born in 1655 in the English Yorkshire countryside. In the late 1670’s he was gazetted ensign into the King’s Holland regiment where he served in Flanders.  In 1680 he joined the army as a lieutenant and was sent to Tangier to defend the area from Moorish invasion.  Later as a captain, Nicholson left for Boston as an assistant to and later appointed as the Lieutenant Governor under the command of Sir Edmund Andros, the Governor-in-Chief. Later commissioned by King William III as Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia, Nicholson would serve 15 years in the colony before being recalled in 1705 for mismanaging the finances of the colony.

Commissioned in 1709/10 by the Queen Anne to recover Nova Scotia as an English possession, Nicholson would capture Annapolis Royal from the French. In 1712 Nicholson was appointed Governor of Nova Scotia and Placentia but deferred his responsibilities on his Lieutenant–Governor Thomas Caulfield and left the area. In 1720 Nicholson was appointed as Governor of South Carolina where he stayed until he returned to England where he died in 1727/28.

Edward Cornwallis was born in 1712/13, one of the younger sons of the 4th Baron Cornwallis. Cornwallis had a twin brother, Frederick Cornwallis.  Frederick Cornwallis would later become Archbishop of Canterbury (1768 - 1783).  At 12 years old, Cornwallis became a royal page and later joined the 8th Foot as captain.  Between 1738 and 1743, Cornwallis worked as a courier for the diplomatic service.  In 1743 he was sent to parliament by his father to represent the family borough of Eye. In 1745 he assumed command of his regiment in Flanders as their lieutenant-colonel. He resigned his command due to illness in 1748 and was appointed a groom of the royal bedchamber before being promoted to colonel in 1749.

That same year he arrived in Nova Scotia as its Governor and founded the city of Halifax. Difficulties ensued and Cornwallis found a target to blame, a French missionary, Jean-Louis Le Loutre who had established good relations with the Indians. Cornwallis in reaction to Indian attacks on vessels at Canso and Chignecto wanted to expel all the Mi’kmaw from the province. This led to his controversial proclamation to reward officers with ten Guineas for every Mi’kmaw taken or killed upon producing the “savage” scalp. Cornwallis also demanded an undivided oath of loyalty from the Acadians and when they refused to sign such an oath (they having preferred the qualified oath of Cornwallis’ predecessor, Richard Philipps) Cornwallis decided to leave the Acadians alone. Frustrated with his reprimands for excessive expenditures to establish the settlement as he saw fit, Cornwallis left Halifax in 1752 and returned to England.

On return he continued his military service and was elected the Member of Parliament for Westminster which he held until 1762.  He was appointed lieutenant-general in 1760 and later became Governor of Gibraltar where he died in 1776.

Section Under Review.

(Under Development)

Francis Legge was born c1719.  Little is known about his early life. He served as an ensign in the 35th Foot and in 1756 became a captain in the 46th Foot, serving in the Seven Years’ War.  In 1761 he was put in command of five companies at Trois-Rivières. In 1767 Legge was promoted to the rank of major.  In 1773 he purchased the rank of lieutenant –colonel in the 55th Foot. That same year he also was commissioned as the Governor of Nova Scotia to succeed Lord William Campbell.

Legge’s lack of experience in governance led to poor decision-making and this led to rumors of rebellion which was already sweeping its way across parts of the American colonies. He was unable to control the local government and ignored the power and influence of the social elite. Legge was summoned to London to answer questions over his leadership. While he had the King’s favour, his competence in governing was questionable and he was recalled to London and not permitted to return to Nova Scotia.  A series of Lieutenant Governors from the Royal Navy took over management of the province and only in 1782 was a new Governor appointed.  Legge died in 1782.