More English Than then English

by Terry Reksten

Over thirty years ago, when the late Terry Reksten wrote More English than the English, her intent was to write for those who might not usually find pleasure in reading about the past. The result is an entertaining account of British immigrants trying to create a society based on nostalgic notions of their homeland. This completely redesigned, updated, and expanded edition brings this fascinating social history of Victoria's early days back into print. Writer and historian Rosemary Neering has added new photos and updated the list of sixty-one historical sites. As in the original edition, More English than the English includes maps and a comprehensive cross-referenced list of sites for readers strolling the streets and pathways of the city, searching for evidence of the past both at surviving physical locations and in the stories that unfolded there. Terry Reksten, Victoria's favourite historian, chronicles the feats and foibles of the men and women, many of them British immigrants, who created a special kind of society and a new city beside the Pacific. With insight and humour, Reksten opens a window on the way things used to be in a place at the far end of the Empire. Deliberately selective and anecdotal, this is a delightful collection of stories and sagas of the people who fashioned a fort, a town, and finally, a city on the rocks and meadows of southern Vancouver Island. By focusing on the stories behind the acts and dates that are the mainstay of more formal history, Reksten strove to create a social history that portrayed the spirit of the times from the mid-nineteenth century into the 1930s.

Genres: History, Canada

220 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2011

Reviews

[Ian Beardsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I wish there was more interest in local Canadian history books amongst our population! I notice on Goodreads that Canadian history books are somewhat rare, and many of those that exist get lack-luster reviews, which puzzles me. Canadian history is just as incredible and full of surprises as our southern neighbor's. This book on the early days of Victoria, BC (ca 1840-1940) is a nice little book that takes the reader through that century with charming anecdotes of the city's life starting as a Hudson Bay Co. fort, a launching point for BC's goldrush days, it's evolving role from BC's largest city to its capital city, and so on, giving us a dramatis personae of the colorful characters who were there.

Reksten spends some time exploring the idea of Victoria's reputation as a quaint outpost of the British Empire and the almost mythical tourist take-away that the city is indeed more English than the English; however, she ends up having us realize that Victoria is far more than that. Victoria was a real polyglot of ethnic communities throughout its history and remains so today. Yes, the majority of early pioneers were British civil servants and fur-trade men, but the evolution of this city on the extreme southern tip of Vancouver Island also involved the role of so many others: Pacific Northwest indigenous peoples, Americans that wandered up from a country undergoing a civil war, other Europeans besides the British, and many Chinese. The latter group was shamefully treated with racism but were an important factor of building much of our province's infrastructure, not least of which was the intercontinental railway that bound us in confederation.

The book perhaps is more of an overview rather than an in-depth exploration of Victoria's social history, especially in its earlier form when it first came out in 1986. One of the things that I really liked about the book is the list of historical sites with maps of the townsite, which was updated for this later edition. All in all, this is a great read for someone wanting to learn just a bit more about Victoria's history and pioneers than can be gleaned from tourist brochures.

As a Vancouver resident, I learned a lot about this partner city of our parallel histories. It is a city that so many British Columbian's rave about, but so often rarely visit due to its island situation, myself included. Once Covid-19 travel restrictions ease, I am eager to go back and explore much more.

[Vanessa Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining introduction to the history of Victoria, from fur-trade days to early 20th Century. As the title declares, this is a very social history. The focus is people, including some lesser known figures who are as equally colourful as their more renowned counterparts. Contrasting the developed pseudo-Englishness of the city, Reksten depicted a multi-cultural portrait of its early history. As an overview, there is little space to explore personal histories in depth, yet she managed to leave a vivid impression of many, from varied walks of life, who made Victoria home.

[Mike Zadravec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Local history is a funny subject. I could talk at length about American history, Australian history, Japanese history, etc. but my ignorance is palpable when it comes to Canadian history, specifically the history of my hometown, Victoria BC (in my defence, this is partially owing to the lack of books on the subject). Terry Reksten’s More English than the English is one of the few books on Victoria’s history that I’ve been able to find and have since got around to reading.

Asides from the completely lacking any information on Victoria’s Indigenous peoples, this was a well-structured book on Victoria’s history from its founding as a Hudson’s Bay Company post to the beginning of World War I. And lo and behold, there were several interesting historical tidbits that I took away from this, such as:

* Victoria had a significant American population during the gold rush and prior to the civil war. Specifically, there was a sizeable population of Black Americans on Vancouver Island and Victoria, notably Mifflin Gibbs, who served on city council and would go on to become the first black judge elected in the United States.

* Victoria became the capital of BC over New Westminster, partially due to the fact that Victoria supporter William Cox a)got William Franklyn, a New Westminster supporter, belligerently drunk the night before the session, b)shuffled his speaking notes, and c) stole his glasses prior to his speech.

* Part of the reason there are so many Edwardian-style heritage homes here is because Victoria experienced a real estate boom and bust prior to World War I.

Interesting stuff! Let alone I know have a much greater context and appreciation for a good chunk of the street names in the city.

[Al Maki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short history of the city of Victoria, British Columbia from the time of the founding of the fur trading fort in 1843 until the end of the Great War. The emphasis is on individuals and anecdotes but it describes that first period in a vivid and interesting way. It also develops the story of how a city firmly rooted in the exploitation of resources and the industrial development of the Pacific Rim came to be thought of as a "little bit of England."

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative and interesting history of Victoria. Reading this book during a visit to the city brought to mind images of the city in its infancy on every street. Highly recommend.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! A perfect blend of social and architectural history. I plan to use it as a tour guidebook on my next trip to Victoria.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to learn more about BC history and this is has been a very good book for doing just that. Easy to follow (if you're paying attention) and well-written (aside from the author's tendency towards some very long sentences), More English Than the English has proved to be one of the more interesting history books out there. I like learning more about some of these names that are so familiar to me, and seeing how quickly Victoria grew from a HBC fort, to a gold rush town, to a booming social centre. I really want to visit some of these historical sites, and get a little bit depressed whenever I learn that a certain site or building is no longer there.

September 8 2012:
I got to page 152, then had to return it because it was a library book and the school semester kicked into high gear. But I do want to finish/re-read it at some point.

[Donna Beckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in the history of Victoria on Vancouver Island, this book is good reading. Not just a historical book about Victoria but a history of the people who made Victoria the place it is today. The workers, the first families, the business owners and the government. It starts with the settlement of the Hudson Bay company post and goes to the start of WW1. At the back of the book there is a guide to lots of historical buildings and land marks in Victoria.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this since my daughter and her husband are moving to Victoria, BC. A good, well-written way to get a feel for the history of the city and the people and architecture behind it. Interesting tidbits such as Victoria assuring that vote in the legislature went their way to become the capital of British Columbia by plying their opponent with alcohol!

[Mackenzie Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of questionable quality, but a good intro for my visit.