First Generation: William Treggett

William Treggett

The first Treggett to settle in lower Canada was William Treggett. He was born on October 26, 1827, in England. He joined the British Army on July 25th, 1844 and spent a little over 12 years in the military. During those years, he served in Gibraltar, the West Indies, and Canada. On April 30th, 1857, on his request, Private Treggett of the Sixteenth Regiment of Foot was discharged in Quebec. He received a Gratuity of £10 for being a settler in Canada under the Royal Warrant on May 24th, 1847.

Brian Memories – William Treggett (captions available in both FR and ENG) – View the video with a transcript.

Marchmont Estate

In 1858, William Treggett was hired by John Gilmour, a well-respected merchant and shipbuilder, to work as a gardener at his estate, “Marchmont.”

The Marchmont property was a well-cultivated farm located west of Quebec City where there were outbuildings and facilities for raising cattle, poultry and fish stocks. Agricultural pursuits were highly encouraged and carried to a high state of perfection on the property.

Yellow and orange photo of a house shrouded by conifer trees. There are women dressed in white dresses in front of the house on the grass by a big tree.

Playing cricket, Marchmont Estate, Quebec, c.1865

During his seven-year tenure at Marchmont, he learned a great deal about being a horticulturist. In 1865 the Board of Directors offered William Treggett the position of Superintendent. William was in charge of the cemetery for 43 years from 1865 to 1908.

Black and white picture of a man standing in a room with lots of plant. The room has a slanted ceilling. The man is dressed in dark pant, a dark vest and a white shirt. He has a long white beard and is wearing a circular hat.

Treggett, Wm in greenhouse Mount Hermon Cemetery, Quebec, c.1875

“My great-grandfather was an expert gardener, responsible for all the beautiful floral designs around the cemetery. He also supervised the planting of annual flowers on the individual lots. The flower beds, which decorated the grounds, were filled with flowers from the cemetery greenhouses. He also designed cedar basket planters to be used for decoration throughout the cemetery to enhance the beauty of the surroundings. The raised floral displays in the cemetery were an indication he had horticultural training. A question one might ask is what an experienced gardener was doing in the British Army?” -Brian Treggett

Black and white photo of a family in a courtyard surrounded by trees and a wooden fence. In this picture, there are ten people. Five people are standing, three are sitting on a bench, and two are lying on the ground in the grass. They dress all their best Sunday.

William Treggett Family, Mount Hermon Cemetery, Quebec, c. 1884

The First Superintendents Second Generation: James Treggett