The 12MC audience anticipated my next move again. It was “The Basement Geographer” this time. He flagged British prime minister Earl Grey and the Grey Cup in a comment responding to Gray vs. Grey. So I will cover that along with other topics today. I knew that could be a risk when I mentioned the prairie town of Earl Grey in Saskatchewan. Naturally I interpreted this as a sign of an engaged conversation and I appreciated the input.
Up In Canada
Anyway, let’s talk about Earl Grey, the rural town and its namesake. To begin, there have been seven men with the hereditary title Earl Grey. In this context Earl referred to a Peerage of the United Kingdom. It doesn’t commemorate some dude named Earl although that would have been much more entertaining.
A Town and Football
So I consulted the History of Earl Grey (the town). This came from the book “From Buffalo Grass to Wheat: a History of Long Lake District,”
“…this settlement began when a settler spent the winter of 1903-04 in a dugout in the side of the hill near where the old school stands today… When the village was incorporated in 1906, a C.P.R. [ed., Canadian Pacific Railroad] official suggested that it be called Earl Grey in honor of the Governor-General, Earl Grey.”
This particular Earl Grey was also Sir Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey and more importantly for this story, Governor General of Canada between 1904 and 1911. “He is probably best remembered as the donor of the Grey Cup, the trophy awarded to the champion team of the Canadian Football League.”
One More
The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base included one other Earl Grey, a mountain pass bearing the name in British Columbia. The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park explained the origin on its guide to the Earl Grey Pass Trail.
“During a visit to British Columbia in 1908, Earl Grey, Canada’s Governor General… crossed the Purcell Mountains on a trail that connected the East and West Kootenays. He traveled up Toby and down Hamill Creeks, over a 2,256m pass which was later named in his honor… The Purcell’s so impressed Earl Grey that he had a cabin built for his family’s vacation in 1909. The remains of the structure still stand on Toby Creek, one kilometer from the Eastern trailhead.”
So two Canadian geographic features got the Earl Gray name. A bunch of roads and schools spread throughout the Provinces did too.
Grey or Orange?
Earl Grey Tea, however, derived from a different Earl Grey. I figured I should check that out since I was already examining geographic features named Earl Grey. The tea referred to UK Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. He was the grandfather of Albert Grey, the previously referenced Governor General of Canada.
Tea Time
“Lord Grey’s most remarkable achievement was the Reform Act of 1832, which set in train a gradual process of electoral change, sowing the seeds of the system we recognise today… One of his other legacies is the blend of tea known as Earl Grey. He reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic present, of tea that was flavoured with bergamot oil. It became so popular that he asked British tea merchants to recreate it.”
About That Oil
Bergamot oil came from the pressed peel of the Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia). That’s an infrequently encountered sour citrus grown commercially in a small handful of places. The majority of those orange groves concentrated historically around the Calabria region of Italy, especially within the Province of Reggio Calabria (map). Some recognize this as the “toe” of the Italian boot. According to the Consorzio del Bergamotto (Consortium of Bergamot),
The bergamot is cultivated along the Ionian coast of the Province of Reggio Calabria, specifically between the towns of Villa San Giovanni and Gioiosa Jonica; an area of about 1,500 hectares produces 20,000 tonnes of fruit, which yield an average of 100,000 kg of essence.
Avoiding Confusion
So remember,
- Black tea infused with obscure citrus: 2nd Earl Grey
- Canadian Football League championship: 4th Earl Grey
Feel free to drop those distinctions into your next cocktail party conversation if you need to disperse a crowd.
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