Castle Malahide, in Dublin, Ireland was the birthplace of Thomas Talbot on July 19, 1771.  His family was wealthy and that helped young Thomas to get a military Commission when he was only 11 years old.  At age 20, Talbot was on his way to Upper Canada as the personal secretary to Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe and while on that trip, Talbot saw the land he wanted to own and develop.

In those early days, soldiers and officers were given land in return for their military service.  Thus, in 1803, Colonel Talbot was granted 5,000 acres (2020 hectares) of beautiful land just west of Kettle Creek, at Port Talbot.  He then set in motion, one of the most aggressive settlement expansion plans ever seen, which is why the Talbot name is prominent in the counties of Middlesex, Elgin, Kent, Essex, Haldiman and Norfolk.  In Elgin County, the city of St. Thomas is named after him as was Talbot Street and hence, the old Talbot Street School in London. 

Amid the bitterly cold winter of 1853, Colonel Thomas Talbot passed  away in London.   His body was taken back to his beloved Talbot settlement for burial.

The London and Middlesex Historical Society