Prideaux Selby


Prideaux Selby was an English soldier and political figure in Upper Canada.
He was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England a son of the Holy Island branch of the Selby family.
He joined the 5th Foot Regiment in Ireland in 1781, and arrived in Detroit with the regiment in 1790. In 1792, he was appointed assistant secretary of Indian Affairs by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe and took up residence in Amherstburg. In 1802, he became a Justice of the Peace in the Western District. In 1807, he moved to York. In 1808, he was appointed to the Executive Council of Upper Canada and appointed receiver general. In 1809, he was also appointed auditor general.
In the spring of 1813, he became seriously ill and died in May of the same year.
He had married in England in about 1772. His son, also Prideaux Selby was born in London and ultimately inherited family estates at Swansfield House, Alnwick and Pawston, Northumberland.