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Under the provisions of the Constitutional Act of 1791, the pioneers of our area enjoyed responsible government at the Township level from earliest times. They were allowed to "chose and appoint" at their first joint Township Meeting with Whitby in 1803, and later their won first Township meeting in l8ll, two town wardens, a Town Clerk, two assessors, a collect-or, four pathmasters and two poundkeepers. The meeting was held at the home of Samuel Munger and the list is as follows: ( Ref: Ontario County Atlas. ) Town Clerk: Thomas Hubbard. Assessors: David Crawford, John Haight. Collector: Abrahan Townsend. Pathmasters: Thomas Matthews, Noahdiah Woodruff, John Lawrence, Abraham Townsend. Poundkeepers: Timothy Rogers, Joseph Wixon, Town Wardens: James Powell. John Richard. The early Council meetings dealt largely with the matter of fences, cattle, horses and hogs, roads, assessment of real and personal property, and collection of taxes from both real and personal property. Schools, the modern bug-bear, were not subsidized by the Township and taxes were very low, approximately1 Pound per hundred acres. (Ref: Lloyd Johnston, Town Clerk.) The first by-laws were purely local and dealt with fences and livestock. "l8l6: Hogs in not to run as free as commoners, nor horses." (Ref: Ont. County Atlas.) Home District collected from Pickering and Whitby for the year 1802 the sum of 5 Pounds, 19 Shillings. The Tax Collector, William Allan, became a Pickering landowner, although never a resident one, in 1808 when he purchased Lot 18, B.F. and Lot 19 B. F. from Aneas Shaw. There was no tax on wildlands and the absentee landowners who owned approximately 90% of the Township (see Map of Grants) did not contribute to the tiny hoard which the tax collector picked up from the few scattered and impoverished residents of the Township. Undoubtedly the busiest member of Council were the Pathmasters who were responsible for the poor corduroy roads and narrow paths which they had to carve out of the almost jungle-like growth of the dense forests. Making roads was a herculean task and Provincial Government helped with only two roads in the entire Township: The Kingston Road and part of the Fifth Concession and Brock Road which led to Newmarket and which was opened as early as 1813 according to Timothy Rogers. The Brock Road was open to Uxbridge after the Quaker settlement in the north in the period l807-l8l0. Side roads were mere paths, and everyone did statute labour. During the years many pathmasters were added to the original four and by 1853, there were ninety-six overseers of highways. Town Clerks had many duties but very little money to apportion out. Town Clerks, according to the Minutes of the Township, Brougham were as follows: 1811-1823, Thomas Hubbard; 1823-1825, James Sharrard; 1825-1835, John Clerke; 1835-1838, James Sharrard. During the pioneer period there seems to be no record of Indian trouble or rustling of any consequence but the farmers found it expedient to brand their cattle since many of them roamed the forest for their food, pastures being scarce. Here are some of the early cattle brands as recorded in the Minute Book, Brougham Left hand column: March 11th, 1811 Peter Matthews: March 27th, 1811 Thomas Matthews: February, 1821 Noahdiah Woodruff: March 12½, 1811 Joshua Wixon: Right hand column: March 11th, 1811 Thomas Hubbard January 8th, 1821 George Barclay January 6th, 1823 Timothy Rogers