Mary Ethel Critchley spent much of her life at the Northwest Arm
By Iris V. Shea
Mary Ethel Critchley was the eldest daughter of Sir Sandford Fleming. Many Jollimore residents
after 1910 knew the Critchley name and would refer to Fleming’s Cottage on the Dingle Road as
Critchley’s house. Critchley’s Wharf near the north end of the seawall is still seen as an
outcropping of stones into the Northwest Arm.
Mary Ethel, known as Minnie, seemed to share a special fondness of the Dingle Lands
with her father. Fleming wrote in his diary over a period of years that the family spent Minnie’s
birthday, September 3 rd , enjoying a picnic at the Dingle. Following their mother’s death in 1888,
Minnie and her younger sister, Lily, remained living with their father at Winterholme in Ottawa
until they married…Minnie at the age of 35 and Lily at the age of 30. Both daughters would
often accompany their father on his travels to Europe and England. Lily married William
Exshaw in 1891. His family owned and operated wineries in France and he was well liked and
respected by his father-in-law.
On July 17, 1893, Fleming wrote in his Diary: “Surprised to get a letter from T.O.
Critchley in Calgary that he and Minnie are engaged, asking consent to marry. Acknowledged
receipt of letter. Told him he must get an occupation.” In September of that same year Fleming
took Minnie on a world tour, to Australia, to France to visit Lily and her new son, Noel Exshaw,
and to London, England, on their way home, in January 1894. On February 5, 1894 Critchley
arrived in Ottawa from Calgary and spoke again about marrying Minnie. Fleming, once again,
told him to find an occupation. In April 1894 Fleming got Minnie to place her money with
Trustees and Critchley left for Toronto. On July 12, 1894 Fleming received a telegram from his
eldest son, Frank, to say “Minnie was married to T.O. Critchley today.” Fleming wrote in his
diary on July 13 th , and again on July 19 th , “Miss Minnie very much.”
The Critchleys, following their honeymoon in Halifax, visited Minnie’s father on their
way to Calgary. Thomas Critchley had purchased the Red River Lodge, a large cattle ranch near
Calgary. Fleming’s wedding gift to the couple was 100 purebred Hereford cattle. By 1899
ranching had lost its charm and Thomas Critchley joined the Constabulary. That, too, was short-
lived. In August, 1901 Minnie sent a telegram to her father who was visiting the Exshaws at their
estate in Scotland, “Tom left the Constabulary, what shall we do?” Fleming’s reply, “All come
home, draw for funds”. By this time Minnie and Tom Critchley had two sons. Thomas Sandford (nicknamed Sankey)
was born when Minnie was visiting her father in Ottawa in 1896. Their 2 nd son, Oswald Francis
Walter, was born 16 September 1897 in Ottawa and baptized the following year on Minnie’s
birthday, September 3 rd , “at the little chapel across the Arm” (St. Augustine’s in Jollimore).
The Critchleys were back and forth to Blenheim Lodge in Halifax and to Winterholme,
Fleming’s residence in Ottawa. It is unclear if Tom Critchley had an occupation. In 1911 they
moved into the Cottage on the Dingle Road. What seems evident is that Fleming loved his
daughter Minnie very much and continued to be there for her but he still had problems accepting
and trusting her husband.
In October 1908, when Fleming set aside 95 acres of his Dingle Lands
for the City of Halifax to build the Memorial Tower, he also subdivided his remaining land into
seven equal lots, each lot with water frontage on the Northwest Arm. Each of Fleming’s six
surviving children received one of those lots, numbered one to six. Fleming kept the seventh lot
containing the cottage and the stone wharf until 1913 at which time he deeded it to his two
youngest sons, Walter and Hugh.
Lily Exshaw purchased Blenheim Lodge from her father in 1905. She and her family
were frequent visitors to Halifax. The address for Blenheim Lodge was 14 Oxford Street in 1915
and the Halifax City Directory in the spring of 1915 listed William Exshaw and his son, Noel, as
residents at that address, along with the names of Sir Sandford Fleming and Thomas Critchley. A
second address, The Dingle, Northwest Arm, was listed for Thomas Critchley as his summer
residence. On July 22, 1915 Sir Sandford Fleming died at the home of his daughter, Mrs.
Critchley, at the Northwest Arm, according to newspaper accounts of his death. The family
accompanied his body by train to Ottawa. From the wording in Halifax newspapers, the cottage
on the Dingle Road appears to be where Fleming died of pneumonia.
The Critchleys remained at the cottage on the Dingle Road for several years after
Fleming’s death. In 1920 Lily Exshaw purchased the cottage and lot number seven from her two
brothers for $8000 and sold it in 1935 to John W. MacLeod. The Critchleys younger son,
Oswald, a Naval Lieutenant, died of pulmonary tuberculosis at the Kentville San in 1927. His
parents moved into the Elmwood Hotel in Kentville to be near their son during his illness.
Their elder son, Thomas Sandford (Sankey) and his wife moved to Blenheim, Marborough, New Zealand in 1924. Minnie
and Thomas Critchley followed him to New Zealand in 1934. One year later T.O Critchley died
at his son’s residence at the age of 72 years. Minnie remained in New Zealand at Winterhome,
the name of her son’s residence at Blenheim. She died in 1945 and is buried beside her husband
in Upper Wairau Valley Cemetery, Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand.
Generations of the Critchley family created the beautiful Winterhome Gardens (check out the website by that name
online.) It is located above the rugged Marlborough coastline in New Zealand and offers tours
during their summer months, October through to March. I believe Sir Sandford would be very
proud of Minnie’s descendants.