Township (Nova Scotia)

A township in Nova Scotia, Canada, was an early form of land division and local administration during British colonial settlement in the 18th century.

Originally inhabited by Mi'kmaq peoples, the first European colonists to settle in present-day Nova Scotia were the French who arrived in 1605 and founded Acadia.

The British conquest of Acadia took place in 1710 and was formalised by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht which returned Cape Breton Island to the French.

This marked the beginning of permanent British control over the peninsular portion of Acadia, which they renamed Nova Scotia.

Eighty-five years of conflict between the British and the Mi'kmaq were ended with the signing of the Halifax Treaties in 1760 and 1761, and the Burying the Hatchet ceremony in 1761.

The British government paid for Dutch and German families to settle the area and provided them with assistance.

[3] Some 1400 settlers arrived in June 1753 from Halifax on 14 vessels, along with boards, bricks and nails supplied by the government.

[6] Charles Lawrence, Governor of Nova Scotia, issued a proclamation on 12 October 1758 encouraging new settlers from the Thirteen Colonies.

[9] Charles Morris, Surveyor General 1748–1781, was responsible for laying out township boundaries and choosing sites for villages.