Uxbridge, Ont, Township, pop 17 377 (2001c), 15 882 (1996c), 14 092 (1991c), 11 895 (1986c), area 420.65 km2, is located 68 km NE of Toronto on Hwy 47. Its first settler in 1804 was S.S. Wilmot, but most date settlement from 1806 with the arrival of Dr Christopher Beswick. Both Quakers, they were soon joined by Scots, Germans and Pennsylvania Dutch. Incorporated as a town in 1885, its principal economic activity in the 19th century was as a service centre for local agriculture. The municipality was reputedly one of the first in Ontario to own its own waterworks.
The town of Uxbridge was amalgamated in 1974 with the townships of Scott and Uxbridge to form a new township in the Regional Municipality of Durham. Residents of note include local manufacturer Joseph Gould, an ally of William Lyon MACKENZIE, who named the settlement after Uxbridge, Eng. Lucy Maud MONTGOMERY, author of the "Anne" series, wrote more than half her published works while residing in Leaskdale, a hamlet just N of the town.