The suggestion to look at the earlist settlement patterns makes excellent sense. Generally the Liberals got a lot of support from areas in Western Ontario that were Methodist - the old Clear Grit "Rep by Pop" tradition. Eastern Ontario was Tory - the Conservatives got strong support from Northern Irish (Protestant) and the Liberals from Irish Catholics as well as some immigrants such as Germans. Once voting paterns got settled I can follow small Irish Catholic settlements in Eastern Ontario which voted Liberal for decades of elections (e.g. Downeyville in Victoria, Stoco and Hanleys in Hastings).
Perhaps due to the National Policy, the Conservatives ran very well in small industrial towns like Thorold, Walkerville and Paris, as well as larger cities generally while Liberal support was more strongly rural (and in favour of lower tariffs). Some counties like Oxford were incredible Liberal strongholds.
I am glad to be the first to note the 1882 map which was the first under Sir John A's incredible gerrymander! It didn't help a great deal but if you compare boundaries to 1878 you will see a lot of changes in Western Ontario. He tried very hard!
Thanks for enlightening us on old voting patterns, definitely interesting. On a side note, does anybody have a map of the Catholic/Protestant division in Ontario in those days?
I hope Earl gets to Quebec and the Maritimes soon as you could have interesting patterns (though Quebec after WWI will be little fun or use).
