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Ashcroft Manor: How Two English Brothers Built a Cariboo Ranch and Roadhouse

Two Cambridge-educated brothers arrived during the gold rush and turned the Cornwall Ranch into Ashcroft Manor.

What Is Ashcroft Manor?

Ashcroft Manor is one of the earliest ranch sites in the British Columbia interior. It began in 1862 as the Cornwall Ranch, built by two English brothers who had come west in the gold rush, and it soon became known by the name Ashcroft Manor. The Cariboo Gold Rush page on Ashcroft Manor tells the founders' story, drawing on Clement Cornwall's diary. The site is also described as a restored roadhouse today.

Clement and Henry Cornwall: From England to the Cariboo

Clement and Henry Cornwall were sons of Rev. A.G. Cornwall of Ashcroft House in Gloucestershire, England, and came from a well-connected family. Both studied at Cambridge, and Clement also studied law in London, where the brothers heard about the British Columbia gold fever.

Clement's diary records leaving Southampton on April 17, 1862, aboard the La Plata. Their route ran through St. Thomas, Panama and San Francisco, and they reached Victoria on June 2. Though they could afford many laborers, the account says they worked hard themselves, at first seven days a week.

Building the Ranch and Roadhouse

The brothers built the Cornwall Ranch in 1862. The source reviewed here does not describe the herd, crops or orchards, so this profile does not claim figures for them. What it does record is the way the brothers hired managers to run the operation over the years. One of them was Charles A. Semlin, who later became Premier of British Columbia.

The property is described today as a restored roadhouse. Roadhouses of the Cariboo gold rush wagon road are discussed in an article in the Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal on lost Cariboo roadhouses.

The Key to What Made It Work

Ashcroft Manor lasted well beyond the gold rush while many roadside businesses disappeared. The surviving record points to a short list of reasons.

The record is also clear that the ranch was run by a family with money, education and connections. Not every early settler had those advantages.

  • The brothers arrived with capital and education, so they could hire laborers and managers rather than depend on their own hands.
  • They worked closely on the ranch themselves at the start, including seven-day weeks.
  • They held public roles that tied the ranch to local government: Clement became postmaster in 1865 and district magistrate in 1867.
  • They shared the work: when Clement became Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia in 1885, Henry took over operating the ranch.
  • The family kept ownership for generations, until Henry's great-granddaughter Vashti Fisk bought the property in 1972.

Public Life and the Cornwall Family

Clement Cornwall married Charlotte Pemberton in 1870 and they had five children. Henry married Mary Josephine Eyre and had four. Henry died in 1892 and Clement in 1910, and Clement is buried in the family graveyard at Ashcroft Manor.

Clement's appointment as Lieutenant-Governor in 1885 tied a roadside ranch to provincial government, and it shows how the ranch's owners moved between farming and public service.

Decline, Restoration and Today

Vashti (Parker) Fisk, the last Cornwall to live at the manor, bought it in 1972. The Fisks sought government help to restore the deteriorating house but did not succeed. Tom and Susan Saunders bought the property in 1981. It is now a restored roadhouse that operates as a restaurant and tea house.

A general overview is also available in the Wikipedia article on Ashcroft Manor Ranch.

Learn More About Western Canadian Ranching

Ranching in the British Columbia interior began with gold rush demand for food and supplies. For more on how ranches took root across the West, explore the ranching pages on farm.FM or read a farm.FM story about British Columbia ranch history.

Timeline

  1. 1862Clement and Henry Cornwall leave England in April and reach Victoria on June 2
  2. 1862Cornwall Ranch built, soon known as Ashcroft Manor
  3. 1865Clement becomes postmaster
  4. 1867Clement becomes district magistrate
  5. 1885Clement appointed Lieutenant-Governor; Henry takes over the ranch
  6. 1892Henry Cornwall dies
  7. 1910Clement Cornwall dies
  8. 1972Vashti Fisk, Henry's great-granddaughter, buys the property
  9. 1981Tom and Susan Saunders buy it; later restored

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Ashcroft Manor?

Brothers Clement and Henry Cornwall founded the Cornwall Ranch in 1862, which soon became known as Ashcroft Manor. They were Cambridge-educated sons of an English clergyman who came for the British Columbia gold rush.

What is Ashcroft Manor today?

It is a restored roadhouse that operates as a restaurant and tea house. Tom and Susan Saunders bought the property in 1981 after the last Cornwall owner sold.

Who ran Ashcroft Manor after Clement Cornwall became Lieutenant-Governor?

Clement was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia in 1885, and his brother Henry took over operating the ranch. Over the years the brothers also hired managers, including Charles Semlin.

Where is Ashcroft Manor?

It is in the Ashcroft area of the British Columbia interior. The Cornwall brothers founded the ranch there in 1862, and the site is now a restored roadhouse operating as a restaurant and tea house.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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