Mann Avenue, is named in honour of Gother Mann, born in 1747 in England and commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1763. He worked extensively on defence installations along the English coast and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1771 and later posted to the West Indies. He returned to England in 1779.
In 1785, Mann was sent to Quebec as a Captain and Commanding Engineer. Mann’s responsibilities included the canals on the St Lawrence, the fortifications at Quebec, and the defence of the routes into the province. In 1788, he conducted an extensive examination of military posts from Kingston to Sault Ste Marie. The result was a detailed appraisal of the posts, harbours, and navigable water routes. There followed service in the Netherlands, promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1793, whereupon he returned to Quebec to continue improving the defence works throughout the area. Promoted Major-General in 1803, he returned to England.
Promotions and increasing responsibilities ensued with Mann continuing his involvement in the development of Canadian defences, such as a plan for a canal system between Penetanguishene and the Ottawa River via Lake Simcoe. In the mid-1820s, he appointed Lieutenant-Colonel John By to superintend construction of the Rideau Canal. He died in 1829 as the senior Royal Engineer.
