Hat Brock’s
When Major-General Isaac Brock died while defending Canada from a United States invasion on October 13, 1812, Britain lost the services of an able administrator and skilled military leader. Canada gained a hero. As with any figure of towering stature, items of association take on special significance. Brock’s hat, on permanent display at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, is no different. People are endlessly fascinated with it. “We don’t tend to idolize our military leaders in the same way that Americans do, but Brock is widely recognized as a figure of significance in Canadian history and a source of national pride,” says Sarah Kaufman, Managing Director of the Museum. “His stature was undoubtedly elevated because of the recent War of 1812 bicentennial, and he is particularly well known in Ontario. For instance, we have Brock University, and many towns have a Brock Street.” 36
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His hat represents a tangible reminder of the man, his service, and his death (some would describe it as martyrdom) in the defense of Canada, “The hat has amazing provenance, unusual for an artifact so old,” explains Kaufman. “The first we hear of Brock’s hat is in an 1810 letter that mentions its delay in arriving from Britain.” The letter, dated July 9, 1810, reads in part: “I have a thousand thanks to offer you for the very great attention you have shown in executing my commissions; the different articles arrived in the very best order, with the exception of the cocked hat, which has not been received a most distressing circumstance, as, from the enormity of my head, I find the utmost difficulty in getting a substitute in this country.”
