author
Barlow Cumberland
1846–1913
A Canadian businessman-historian who wrote with real enthusiasm about ships, flags, and the stories that shaped Ontario and the wider British world. His books mix civic pride, historical detail, and a clear affection for life on the Great Lakes.
3 Audiobooks
A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River
by Barlow Cumberland
A Sketch of how "The Diamond Anthem" was Sung around the World The 60th Anniversary of the Accession Day of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
by Barlow Cumberland
History of the Union Jack and Flags of the Empire
by Barlow Cumberland
About the author
Born in England in 1846, he moved to Canada with his family and built a career that joined business life with historical writing. Archival records identify him as Frederick Barlow Cumberland, and later sources describe him as a businessman and historian with deep ties to Ontario public life.
He is best remembered for books such as The Northern Lakes of Canada, History of the Union Jack and Flags of the Empire, and A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River. Contemporary title pages and library records also show that he served as president of the Ontario Historical Society and had been a past president of Toronto's National Club.
Cumberland's interests ranged widely, from Great Lakes navigation to imperial symbols and the War of 1812. He is also credited in The Canadian Encyclopedia with helping codify early rugby football rules in Canada at Trinity College in 1864. He died in 1913, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both a historian's curiosity and a promoter's love of Canadian places and traditions.