Count de Bury’s Castle in Saint John’s north end

The de Bury home, or the Castle, as some locals call it sits on the high corner of Main St and Douglas Ave in Saint John.  It is an imposing building with sweeping views down to the harbour and overlooking the north end.  A second empire loyalist home, it has a stunning tower and mansard roof.  This is in my opinion one of the two most important historical homes in the north end.  It’s hard not to fall in love with this building and the intrigue around its original owner.

To provide a timeline to follow during this blog, this home was owned/inhabited by the following persons:

• ca. 1875 – the family of Robert V and Lucy de Bury build the home and move in
• 1905 – Peter McIntyre and family purchased the house
• 1925 – last year Peter and son Allan are noted as living in 354 (women were not usually noted unless the head of the family)
• 1926 – the house is not mentioned in the directory
• 1927-1929 – house is listed as vacant
• 1930 – Percy J. Steel and family moved in
  • Percy died soon after moving in and wife Edna remained in the house with a series of tenants, which appeared to be relatives, until 1959
• 1960 Otty Sherwood moved in
• The mortgage file notes the 1896 and 1905 deeds and nothing more until 1968 when the house began to often change hands

The City of Saint John holds research files and the following is noted in their records:

Robert Davidson Visart, Count de Bury descended from Belgian nobility and was the son of convicted murderer – Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé. If you would like to read more about his crime, simply google his name and there are lots of documents about the murder and subsequent conviction and execution.

Newspapers reported that Robert Davidson Visart, Count de Bury married Lucy Gertrude Simonds, daughter of Henry G. (who had lived in Portland Parish, now the north end) in Stuttgart, Germany in 1869 after meeting while Lucy was on a continental trip – I have not substantiated this information although I have no reason to believe it is not true but I do like to see the primary sources myself.   I find interesting that when the Castle is talked about there is a focus on Count de Bury (I do this myself) perhaps because of his title and visibility in New Brunswick.  I have not found evidence of a robust career despite one being attributed to the Count, but he was very involved in civic politics and many boards.    This is completely conjecture on my part, but it appears to me that the Count gave Lucy a snazzy title, but it was her family that brought significant wealth to the union (the Count’s father did kill for money).

Lucy was the daughter of Henry Simonds who sadly drowned in 1860.  Henry’s father Charles was a member of the Simonds, Hazen, and White firm and one of the largest land owners in what is now Saint John during his lifetime.

Lucy’s father Henry G. Simonds married Gertrude Ann Ward in, according to the newspapers, Moulton, Northamptonshire, England.  Gertrude was the daughter of Rev. Randall Ward who had been a senior chaplain in India.   At the New Brunswick Museum Archives in the Stanton family fonds there is a 1874 lease between Richard Stackhouse and Gertrude Ann Simonds widow of Henry G. Simonds – and Gertrude is identified from the Town of Portland and at present in Brighton, England.  Voila!  Confirmation of the name of Lucy’s mother.   Gertrude’s mother Frances has a portrait painted of her you can see here.

To the union of Robert and Lucy Visart de Bury there were 13 children, 12 surviving.  In no specific order there were:

1. Jeanne Mathilde

• • Born about 1871
  • In 1893, Jennie de Bury returned to Saint John with a Master of Arts of painting and design from the Royal Academy of Arts, San Luca, Rome [I have contacted the archives to confirm] – we also know Jean spent time as a nun in Malta
  • From the Women of Canada : their life and work / compiled by the National Council of Women of Canada at the request of the Hon. Sydney Fisher for distribution at the Paris International Exhibition, 1900 :

2.  Henry Robert

• • • Believed to be born in Germany in 1872
    • served in WWI
    • I will not go in to Henry’s career, suffice to mention he ended up settling in Quebec and his career highlights were oft reported in the Saint John newspapers

3. Charles Edmund

• • Born about 1873
  • Charles shot himself in 1902 in Butte, Montana and survived. This event resulted in a lawsuit for costs related to his medical treatment, which I will touch on later in the article.

4. Helen Agnes

• • Born about 1876

5. Marie Gertrude

• • • Born about 1878
    • Married Peter Charles Schenkelberger a doctor in Chicago
    • Visited Saint John with daughter Natalie many times over the years as reported by the local press

6. Constance Visart

• • Born in 1880
  • Married Saint John lawyer Daniel Mullin
  • Sadly, Constance died in 1932 when she committed suicide by drowning in Courtney Bay.  Constance still received a Catholic burial and the newspaper accounts of her death describe her as poorly for the few weeks preceding her demise.

7. Julian Ironside

• • • Son born in 1881 and died in 1882

8. Madeline/Madeleine Theresa (possibly Madelien Theresa Eugenia)

• • • • Born about 1882
      • 1901 census indicated Madeline was born in Italy
      • Attended Ladies College in Sackville
      • Struck by a train in 1907 and survived

9. Robert Wilfred

• • Born 1884
  • Like his elder brother Henry, he served in WWI
  • Died in 1919 of influenza and pneumonia overseas

10. Lucien Edward

• • • In 1895, Lucien De Bury graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. with a Bachelor of Arts with honours. He returned to Saint John with pupils Ritchie and Ready – from well-known families in Saint John

11. Francis Visart

• • • • Born 1885 (indicated 1886 in WWI records)
      • Like elder brothers Robert and Henry, served in WWI – living in Pittsburgh when joined

12. Cyril

• • Born 1888
  • Snuck on the train in 1903 to see father in Saint John leaving mother in Montreal – details below

13. Gertrude Irene

• • Born 1891
  • Subject of a child custody disagreement between the Count and Countess de Bury

In 1880, there was a verdict in the Simonds family where Thomas Gilbert claimed his cousin Richard Simonds the paternal uncle of Lucy de Bury, had inherited when his father Charles died (Charles had been predeceased by his other son and Lucy’s father Henry) and had left his to him [the cousin] not the children of Richard’s brother Henry.  What is interesting is a reference in 1877 to the lawsuit and mention of Mrs. Henry Simonds [Lucy’s mother and the widow of Henry] living on the continent.  Even after the Countess died her sister Helen was living in Italy.  It seems the Simonds family had a long history of continental travel.

In 1875 there was a fire where Count de Bury lost many of his possessions, including a Steinway piano, when living on Simonds owned land at Main and Douglas.

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This description of the fire comes from A Review of the first half century’s history of St. Luke’s Church, Portland, St. John, N.B. published in 1889.   There is reference to the de Bury family living in the Simonds house that caught fire.

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I do not know much about this map but I believe it is from pre 1875 and here on the corner of Main and Harrison you can see the Simonds property where the current de Bury home is but there is no structure where the current home is.

In 1875 after the fire, Count de Bury commissioned a barn to be built at Sawdust [not sure where this was – perhaps off a common lane?] and Main and commissioned a home at Main and Douglas by contractor Andrew Mills.  Mason was J. McDermott.

I love the reference to the carriage house and the stables.  I have been trying to understand the connection between out buildings on Saint John properties and this reference is golden.

I was perplexed about the architect.  Was the contractor Andrew Mills the architect?  I noticed that the rebuilding of a Simonds house and barn in 1875 was attributed to architect WP Clarke – after seeing that WP Clarke had newspaper advertisements listing Count de Bury as a reference (see 1878 newspaper advert below).

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WP Clarke, worked in Saint John from 1874-1880 which corresponds to the time when De Bury had his home built on Main and Douglas.  The mystery of the architect was solved when I stumbled upon a subsequent lawsuit regarding the de Bury home filed by the mason.  Architect WP Clarke is clearly identified as the architect.

I have researched some other wealthy people in Saint John, but the volume of lawsuits the Count was involved in I find staggering.

Anyhew, city directories show the de Bury family in Saint John in the 1874/1875 forward.  de Bury is noted as living on Main, living at Main and Douglas, living across form the Portland church, and starting mid 1890s the address is given as 354 Main although the address varies from 354, 354-360, and 354-370.

There is an 1896 deed but I can barely read it so if anyone can make out what the point of this document is, please advise. 1896 – Deed 68319 – important.  This document is the first in the property files held provincially for this home.

De Bury conveyed land to the Douglas Ave Christian Church.  The Church opened in 1900 right beside the home.   I find the encroachment of this church to the home quite odd.  Conjecture on my part, but I wonder if the Count needed money which is why he let this church be built on land so close to his home.

For Saint John history buffs, the Douglas Ave Christian Church was connected, kind of an offshoot, to an existing church on Coburg.  In 1953 a third floor was added to this church and the timing could not have been worse.  A decade later the failed urban renewal efforts decimated much of the population; hence the church no longer had need of such space.

I do want to take a moment and show what the streetscape looked like based on map 66 found in the City of Saint John Survey Plans (circa 1920).  The house is surrounded in yellow.  Were the buildings surrounded in blue the carriage house etc. connected to the home?

Saint John has a history of fires.  Here we see some of the Count’s buildings burning in 1899 when a large part of the old north end burned (1 life was lost and 150-200 buildings were lost).  The de Bury family had many properties throughout the north end – then Portland.

By 1901 the de Bury marriage was in trouble with impacts on the land holdings. Count de Bury sued his wife about her transfer of real estate holdings under the Married Women’s Property Act.  You can read the findings of the 1901 case.  Ostensibly, in on 16 Oct 1900 Countess de Bury entered into a Deed of Settlement making her sister Irene J. Simonds, living in Florence, Italy, and lawyer Charles J. Coster, power of attorney.  I wonder why the sister was given power over the Countess’ accounts and I suspect it may have to do with the Countess securing her assets for when she died.  The issue of the Countess’ will was brought up a number of times in the Count’s lawsuit and even the judge commented on it.  The Countess took away power of attorney and access to income from her [one could argue – their] lands from her husband.  The lawsuit mentions there was rent received from over 100 tenants.  Interestingly, Daniel Mullin, future son-in-law, was a lawyer for the Count.

In 1902, the Count’s son Charles’ attempted suicide ended in court proceedings for medical coverage as requested by medical doctor Thomas J Murray.  De bury was represented by his future son-in-law Daniel Mullin.

The marital troubles are substantiated in the 1901 census which notes Lucy living with her brother Edmund Ironside Simonds and Eunice [nee Vroom] Simonds and her daughters Gertrude I and Helen A at 34 Orange Street in 1902 with her brother Edmund’s family.  Robert is living alone with sons Robert and Cyril, and daughter Madeline and 3 de Bury boys are lodgers [cannot confirm the lodgers are sons of De Bury although one clearly looks like Lucie] while daughter Jeanne de Bury is living in a convent in Quebec.

Then in 1902, Madame de Bury planned to take her youngest child and move to Montreal but was prevented from taking Gertrude and the Count was provided with weekly visits.

The earlier 1901 issue of Countess de Bury’s property was again before the Supreme Court in Equity in New Brunswick in 1902 with much of the case revolving around Rankin or Rankine’s wharf in the north end.  Below are some highlights.  For those of us interested in the north end, we can visualize where this property including wharf was – off of Bridge St.

With great excitement, I found a 2 Oct 1902 lease agreement made on the Countess’ behalf by her sister and lawyer with Richard Stackhouse which references the Deed of Settlement from 1900.

The marital problems continues to be reported in the press with this 1903 article about son Cyril desperate to get home to Saint John and his father.  He arrived after a week injured and without food.

In, 1903 Count and Countess de Bury donated 40×100 foot lot of land to the rear of St. Luke’s.  For those not familiar with Saint John, St. Luke’s is across the street from the Count’s home and while the Count was Catholic and his children were raised Catholic, the Simonds family was not Catholic.    Interestingly, the family of Charles Simonds gave land in 1828 for Grace church near Fort Howe and not long after a larger church was felt needed so St. Luke’s was built .  Apparently, the Grace church congregation had outgrown the first building.  Charles Simonds apparently deeded the land to St. Luke’s.

In 1904, the engagement and subsequent married of Daniel Mullin to de Bury daughter Constance occurred.  I suspect it was a tense affair as Mullin had acted as lawyer for the Count against the Countess.

Circling back to the house.  According to the City of Saint John, the house had a fire in 1905.  I reviewed the Annual Reports on the Accounts of the Corporation of the City of Saint John, along with newspapers, and could find NO mention of a 1905 fire.  I DID find a fire mentioned in 1902.  On 2 Dec 1902 (a Tuesday) at Count de Bury’s home on Main St. a “defective heating apparatus” caused a fire.  The home was not as “occupied by Mrs. Goggan”.  [Mrs. Goggan was not a servant in the 1901 census – that was a Foley and Titus].  Insurance on building was $5,000; loss $450.  Insurance on de Bury’s furniture was not listed.  Insurance on Goggan’s furniture $1,000; loss $66.30.

26 Jan 1905 the newspaper reported an auction of items purchased to furnish the home by Countess de Bury the previous year. I had first wondered if this was related to the 1902 fire.  None of de Bury’s furniture was listed as damaged so perhaps it was scantly furnished.  Directories show the Count living in the house until 1905 with the exception of 1904 when the entire family, including Count [though I think this was an error because two “Robert W. V. de Burys” are recorded so perhaps they recorded the son twice] and Countess, were noted as living at 39 Paddock St.  Crazily I had been taking pictures just 2 months ago of the entrance to this stunning place.  HH Mott, famed local architect, developed plans to update the building in 1912 but clearly the home is much older.  Here is a crappy pic of one of the doors to 39 Paddock – I did not want to trespass – and the auction announcement.  I am still unclear if it is true that Countess de Bury had actually purchased the furnishings in 1904 and if so, why did she?

1905 was the year the home left the de Bury family.  In October the newspapers reported that the Count was in discussions to sell the house to be used as a much needed hospital.

Abruptly in November 1905, one month after considering making the house a hospital, the home was sold to ship captain Peter McIntyre.  Peter himself indicated he would be willing to sell the home for a good price and would move in after installing electricity and hot water heating.   This is a key bit of information about the history of the home.  The newspaper articles below indicates the home was erected in 1876 by James Myles but the earlier evidence does not  support this claim.   The 1911 census notes Peter McIntyre still at the home and the 1921 census notes the family at 354 main St – Peter’s wife was Ada Titus and son Allan.  Peter was a ship captain and ship broker, and a Main St. grocer at 337 Main St. just down the road from DJ Purdy!  Peter even named schooners after himself and his wife.  I like that he was a ship captain because so much of the early inhabitants of the homes in this area were ship captains and their families.  Around 1925 the family moved to Hampton.

Attached is the 1905 property transfer document to Peter McIntyre.  1905 – Doc 78272 – important.

I suspect the Count was fiscally constrained which is why the house was sold.  There was, in fact, outstanding monies on the home.  In 1905 the Countess died and she was followed by the Count in 1907.  The Countess left two wills and her estate was in probate for years.  Interestingly, the Count’s will still made mention of the house on Main St when he died thus suggesting he had not updated his will. The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick searched in Feb 2023 and could not find the wills so newspaper reports, which are secondary not primary sources, serve as our witness.

The Countess’ death announcement:

Aug 1906 news reports of the Countess’ Wills.  The children are not willed the same in each of the wills and debt is overtly discussed including the mortgage to the Main St residence.  Count de Bury is listed at 95 Coburg in the 1906 directory.

In October 1906 the Count was expected to provide evidence at probate court but needed treatment in Montreal for a serious illness.

In December 1906, the Count and daughter Gertrude are staying at the Victoria hotel upon their return from Montreal.  In the 1907 directory the Count is noted as living at the Victoria hotel.

In June 1907 there was further probate court hearings regarding the Countess’ wills.

Count de Bury died on 1 Sep 1907 at a private hospital.  I would like to know the exact address.  The newspaper describes it as Miss Hegan’s private hospital and the death registration indicates de Bury dies on Carmarthen St.

See below for details of the Count’s will.  Here we see mention of the house on Main going to his eldest son, yet the house had been sold in 1905.

After the Count died, the will of the Countess remained in probate and it seems she had far more assets than the Count.

See this 1909 article.

And again in 1910 the Countess’ will(s) is in the news.

Circling back to Peter McIntyre, some of the property records are missing so it is difficult to ascertain the exact year but we know that in 1925 Peter is living in Hampton when he died and there are suggestions it was in 1927 that the de Bury home was sold to Percy Johnson Steel and his wife.  However, city directories do not show the Steel family in the home until 1930.  Of note, in 1928 a property on Main was transferred from PJ Steel to Edna Steel.

Percy John Steel, a prominent barrister, died in 1932.  He had such a short time to enjoy this magnificent building.

Percy’s wife Edna remained in the home after his death.  I believe it was Edna who divided some of the home into suites because I noticed newspaper adverts for tenants after Percy died.  Interestingly, Edna’s sister married in 1942 and moved into the house – address noted as 356 Main.

Edna Steel was very community minded and became Saint John’s first female city councilor.  She was active in fundraising for the Protestant Orphanage on Manawagonish.

Edna gained some local press for her Christmas displays on the house.  Pic below shared by her grand-daughter.

According to Edna’s grand-daughter, Edna made an effort to have a garden around the house.  Now it has a driveway and parking right up to it, but this 1947 image is so appealing to me.

In the late 1950s Edna sold the home and was living in Toronto when she died in 1966.  I found Edna in this house in the city directories up until 1959 and not after that.

The lands around the home were decimated and changed due to urban renewal, and the home went through a number of hands, including an accounting firm that was given a certificate for being heritage stewards of the building.

In the early 1990s Malcom Thorne wanted to develop a number of properties on Douglas Ave (spurring on efforts to create a Douglas Ave heritage preservation area) including the de Bury home (which oddly  seemed to get a new address around this time that being 2-4 Douglas Ave though no official address change is recorded).  In 1992 the city approved rezoning the property – 1992 – Doc 379037 – important mentions Alexandra .  This interests me because the street where I live, Alexandra is mentioned.  At the end of Alexandra is a street called Edward and while it legally goes through to the former Thorne property that abuts Chesley and Hillyard the city required this not be used as a throughway.

Despite the city rezoning the property, city council rejected the development plans multiple times.  St. Peter’s even got into the fray with messages from the pulpit that were anti heritage preservation and in my humble opinion, not acceptable of a religious organization exempt from tax based on certain expectations.  St. Peter’s had stained glass commissioned by de Bury and I hope it was not lost when the church was demolished in 2022.  Kindly a friend shared photos o the stained glass commissioned by the Count and the Countess.  I did not know about the second image.  See photos kindly shared with me below.  If you look closely they are dated – 1886?

The investors pulled out and the de Bury home, along with countless others, were sold to cover taxes and went through a number of owners until 2018.

In 2018 a new owner purchased with the home and intended to live here.  I have talked with tenants and have not seen evidence of the owner living in the building but this was all just before Covid and I look forward to being wrong.

I have had learned from a former tenant who had friends who visited the house during the time that the Steel family owned it that there were trompe l’oeil paintings that have been painted over (could these be restored with the paint over top removed?) and the main, not servant, staircase on the main floor that went to the second floor has been removed.  A relative of Edna Steel indicates the staircase was referred to as circular and was stored in the cellar and may have been removed by Percy Steel in preparation for tenants.

Additionally, I learned from two sources there were cherubs in the plaster work and these cherubs were annoying to clean due to the height needed to reach them.

I would also be remiss if I forgot to mention that the name Visart pops up in the north end with a street of the name that apparently used to have a little bridge on it.  AND a 1920 survey map shows a de Bury St., and streets with the names of two of his daughters:  Madeleine and Constance.

Near where Constance and Visart streets are located, see map above, is a Natalie St and I wonder if it is named after the de Bury granddaughter who visited from the USA.

I like the spelling, Vishart not Visart, and mention of Newman’s Brook in this 1920s directory.

I love this de Bury home.  It is a spectacular architectural gem in the north end.  It reminds me of the wealth and community that once existed. It is a local landmark.