The General Isaac Brock Monument is made of granite topped by a bronze bust of General Brock, which was sculpted by Hamilton McCarthy. The monument was unveiled August 19, 1912, as a centenary project by the local Gen. Brock Chapter, Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire. This group of Brockville women worked for over seven years to have the monument erected. The sculptor, Hamilton McCarthy, spoke at the unveiling, mentioning that his maternal grandfather was wounded while serving in the War of 1812 under Brock, along with his father’s uncle who lost his life in one of the battles.
Brock was a distinguished soldier who played a leading part in the defence of Upper Canada in the War of 1812. The city of Brockville is named for him.
Hamilton P. MacCarthy was born on 28 July 1846 in London, England. He studied with his father, sculptor Hamilton Wright McCarthy and at the Royal Academy Schools. MacCarthy moved to Toronto, Ontario, in 1885. Thirteen years later he moved to Ottawa and studied at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. MacCarthy had 15 children and his son Coeur de Lion MacCarthy was a sculptor who produced numerous commemorative works after the First World War.
Other memorials by Hamilton MacCarthy include: South African War Memorial and Lieutenant Harold Lothrop Borden Memorial in Nova Scotia; Soldiers Monument in Prince Edward Island; South African War Memorial in Ontario.
