Colclough, Caesar

Caesar Colclough was born in 1764 in County Wexford, Ireland, the eldest son of Adam Colclough and Mary Ann Byrne. On 24 October 1804 he married Susan Leech and they had two daughters. Supported by powerful friends and patrons including the Duke of Kent, Lord Camden, and Charles O'Hara, an Irish member of parliament, he was appointed chief justice of Prince Edward Island on 1 January 1805 although he did not arrive on the Island until 3 July 1807. Lack of cooperation and mutual dislike between Colclough, who also served as President of His Majesty's Council, and Lieutenant-Governor DesBarres was intensified by their opposing loyalties in the political controversy between the "Loyal Electors" and the "old party". Despite the recall of DesBarres and the stripping of Palmer, leader of the "Loyal Electors", of all his offices, Colclough remained an unpopular man in Prince Edward Island and the British government made the decision to exchange him with Thomas Tremlett, the equally unpopular chief justice in Newfoundland. In September 1813 Colclough arrived in St. John's where his unpopularity continued. In the autumn of 1815 he returned to Britain on leave of absence which was extended until his eventual retirement. He spent his last years in France and Ireland. (SEE Biography of Colclough by J.M. Bumsted in the "Dictionary of Canadian biography", Vol. VI, p. 160-164)