Charles Wentworth Clarke

(1875.11.19 – 1952.07.31)
DLS, SLS
Commission #026
(1910.08.05)

Wentworth was born in Hull, England in November 19, 1875 to Thomas and Eliza Clarke. He grew up in England and received his fellowship into the Surveyors Institute of England in 1897. It appears that he went into the “Estate and General Auctioneers and Valuers, Surveyors and Land Agents at the city and county of Kingston-upon-Hull” business with partner Vincent Stanley Walker. The business partnership of “Clarke and Walker” dissolved in late 1900.

In late 1907 Wentworth took a ship to North America landing in New York. Eventually he made his way to Regina as, according to research, in 1909 he is shown as a surveyor with the Regina Public Works Department.

In 1910 Wentworth received both his DLS & SLS commissions. He only did a handful of plans in Saskatchewan and none under the DLS system. It appears as if Wentworth was more interested in Real Estate than in surveying.  1910-1911 he is listed as ‘DLS, SLS, Real Estate & Farm Lands’; 1912-1913 he is shown as ‘Financial & Real Estate Agent & Land Surveyor, DLS & SLS’; 1914 his is listed as Surveyor-Westman Chambers Credit Foncier Bldg.’; and 1915 he is shown as ‘Real Estate Assiniboia Club.

We know that he made trips back and forth from London, England to probably promote his real estate business.

These ads were taken from the London Standard in 1913. Some of his real estate dealings also made the newspapers in England as shown in the London Standard (1911 & 1912) listed below.

“Lots 19 and 20, in Block 146, on Albert Street, have been sold to Mr. C. Wentworth Clarke by Dr. Henderson for $17,500. These lots have a frontage of 100 feet on Albert Street.” 

And

“Mr. C. Wentworth Clarke, D.L.S., Regina, has sold the north half of a section adjoining Parliament Heights for $100,000. The property has been disposed of to an English company, who propose subdividing it.”

In 1916 – 1917 Wentworth is listed in Regina but no occupation is shown and from our previous bio, he was employed n 1918 with the Surveys Branch of the Land Titles Office in Regina.

Somewhere around this time, we expect 1919, Wentworth marries Ruth Baker. Ruth was a nurse and daughter of Gordon Baker who was in the insurance business. Ruth was 20 years younger that Wentworth.

From 1921 until his retirement in 1948, we see Wentworth in Vancouver in the Real Estate business. Some of his employers are ‘London Britain North American Co.’; ‘H C Macaulay’; ‘C C Cross & Co.”; and ‘J R Sigmore’.

Charles Wentworth Clarke passed away in Esquimalt, BC on July 31, 1952. He had only been there for a couple of months from Vancouver.

Prepared by M. L. J. Waschuk, SLS, P. Surv., 2018

Sources: Library and Archives Canada; NRCan; Al Jensen-Controller of Surveys; ISC; Ancestry.com; NewspaperArchives.com;  London Standard; SLSA; Peel’s Prairie Provinces-University of Alberta; Public Library of Vancouver; Royal BC Museum