Daily Knowledge by appYeah

George Rolph, the victim of the attack

The Ancaster incident was an attack on George Rolph (pictured) on June 3, 1826, in Ancaster, Upper Canada, in which members of the Tory elite dragged Rolph from his home to tar and feather him. Government officials refused to prosecute the cases and some acted as counsel for the accused at subsequent civil trials. The judge awarded Rolph £20 from two of the defendants. Reformers, the political opponents of the Tories, cited the incident as evidence of the Tories engaging in political violence to maintain their power. This argument contributed to the Reformers' victory in the 1828 elections for the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada and their investigation of the abuse of power perpetuated by public prosecutors. Historians cited the incident to highlight the tensions between the ruling elite and the growing agrarian society in Upper Canada, which resulted in the Tories using violence in an attempt to retain their influence. (Full article...)