1788-1793 The townships at the Head-of-the-Lake were surveyed and named.
1802 The Home and Niagara Districts were created.
The Niagara District consisted of the Counties of Lincoln (four ridings) and Haldimand. This district included much of what became Wentworth County.
The Home District consisted of the County of York including the west riding which held the townships of Beverly and Flamborough.
1816 On March 22, 1816, a new district was created out of the old divisions of the Home and Niagara Districts. The new Gore District was named after Sir Francis Gore (1769-1852), Lieutenant-Governor of the colony. This district consisted of the two counties of Wentworth and Halton. At this time the boundaries of Wentworth County were not yet permanently fixed so it was determined that Wentworth would encompass the Townships of Saltfleet, Barton, Binbrook, Glanford, Ancaster and "so much of the County of Haldimand as lies between Dundas Street and the Village of Onondaga".
1841 Act 4, Victoria established District Councils in Upper Canada
1842 The first elections were held and 26 citizens were chosen to represent the townships of Gore.
1850 The Baldwin Municipal Act was passed. This replaced the 1841 Act and replaced the District authorities with County Councils.
1851 The north west portions of the old Gore District were combined to form the County of Brant but remained grouped with the United Counties of Wentworth and Halton.
1852 Brant County separated from the United Counties of Wentworth and Halton.
1853 The United Counties of Wentworth and Halton were separated by legislation into the two counties of Wentworth and Halton.
1960 The last of Barton Township was annexed by the City of Hamilton and the township ceased to exist.
1973 Bill 155 was passed to change Wentworth County into the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
January 1, 1974 The Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth came into being.
The township of Ancaster was named after Ancaster, in Lincolnshire, England, 30 km south of the City of Lincoln.
This township was established originally in Lincoln Township in 1792 and became part of Wentworth County in 1816.
The Town of Ancaster was first known as Wilson's Mills after James Wilson who built saw and grist mills there in 1791.
The township of Barton was named after Barton upon Humber in Lincolnshire, England, opposite the city of Kingston upon Hull.
This township was established originally in Lincoln Township in 1791 and became part of Wentworth County in 1816.
As the city of Hamilton began expanding east and south it began annexing portions of Barton Township and completed the annexation of the township in 1960 at which time the name disappeared from the map.
The township of Beverly was named after the town of Beverly in East Yorkshire, England, 12 km north west of Kingston upon Hull.
This township was established in 1792.
In 1802 it became part of the Home District.
The township of Binbrook was named after Binbrook in Lincolnshire, England, 40 km north east of the city of Lincoln.
This township was established originally in Lincoln Township in 1791 and became part of Wentworth County in 1816.
The town of Binbrook was originally known as Hall's Corners after Squire Hall, in whose store the post office was located in 1848.
When Regional Government was implemented in 1974 the townships of Binbrook and Glanford were amalgamated to form the municipal township of Glanbrook in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
Dundas was named after Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1791 to 1801.
The town was laid out in 1797 and originally called Coote's Paradise after Captain Thomas Coote.
Dundas was incorporated as a town in 1847 and retains its status as an incorporated town in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
The township of Flamborough was named after Flamborough Head and the town of Flamborough in East Yorkshire, England.
This township was established in 1792.
In 1816 it became part of Halton County and remained there until 1854 when the townships were transferred to Wentworth County.
When Regional Government was implemented in 1974 the townships of East and West Flamborough, the town of Waterdown and the Township of Beverly were amalgamated to form the town of Flamborough in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
The township of Glanford was named for the parish of Glanford Briggs in Lincolnshire, England, 40 km north of the city of London.
This township was established originally in the County of Lincoln in 1793 and transferred to Wentworth County in 1854.
When Regional Government was implemented in 1974 the townships of Binbrook and Glanford were amalgamated to form the municipal township of Glanbrook in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
The city of Hamilton was named after George Hamilton (1788-1836) who set out the first plan of the town about 1820.
The area was first known as The Head-of-the-Lake for its location at the western end of Lake Ontario.
Hamilton was incorporated as a town in 1833,
Hamilton was incorporated as a city in 1846.
As Hamilton expanded it annexed portions of Ancaster Township to the west, portions of Saltfleet Township to the east and portions of Barton Township to the east and south, eventually annexing all of Barton Township by 1960.
When Regional Government was implemented in 1974 the City of Hamilton became part of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
The township of Saltfleet was named for Saltfleet in Lincolnshire, England, 25 km south east of the town of Grimsby.
This township was established originally in Lincoln Township in 1791 and became part of Wentworth County in 1816.
In 1974, when the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth was created the Township of Saltfleet was annexed by the town of Stoney Creek. The town incorporated as the City of Stoney Creek in 1984.
Stoney Creek was likely named after the creek which flows into Lake Ontario, although claims have been made that it was named after either Jim Stoney, a trapper or storekeeper or after Edmund Stoney, an Anglican priest.
The Post Office opened in 1827 as Stony Creek and the name was changed in 1832 to Stoney Creek.
Stoney Creek annexed Saltfleet Township when the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth was created in 1974 and was incorporated as a city in 1984.
Waterdown was named in 1840 after the site where Grindstone Creek plunges over the Niagara Escarpment at Great Falls.
It may have been named by Ebenezer Culver Griffin who settled here in 1823 and laid out village lots in 1831.
In 1974, when the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth was formed it was included in the new Town of Flamborough.
The County of Wentworth was named for Sir John Wentworth (1737-1820) who was the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia from 1792 to 1808. The County was named in 1816.
It eventually consisted of the Townships of Ancaster, Barton, Beverly, Binbrook, Flamborough (East and West), Glanford and Saltfleet as well as the City of Hamilton.
In 1974 the county was restructured as the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.