Chess Set passed to descendants
of George Canning of Cleveland, Ohio
Born Paris, 1863

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For a more condensed page (smaller photos), please also see

Chess Set

This chess set has been handed down to us from my great grandfather, George Canning of Paris, Toronto and Cleveland. My mother, nee Patricia Canning, George's granddaughter, was given the set by her father, Achilles Botriune Canning. He was given it by his father, George, in the 1930's. Patricia has never known its ultimate origin.

George was a prominent Cleveland citizen, serving as Secretary of Cleveland City Forge and Iron for many years. He kept meticulous correspondence with his large, extended family, and kept a diary in his own personal amalgamation of several different styles of shorthand, which caused the family much perplexity in getting it deciphered after his death. It was said of him that he was so proper that, if on a rare occasion he happened to be alone, "he would form a cue of one." His photo may be seen at www.lionsgrip.com/famchatauqua.html
(he is labelled "Z").

George's father, George Rafton Canning, b. c. 1832, married in Paris, 1861, Mary Ann O'Connor, who was said to have been raised and educated by the Duchess of Montebello in the Court of Napoleon III. George had two brothers, Achilles Botriune Canning, b. 1861 Paris, and Arthur Canning, b. 1865, Paris. Arthur, who adopted the surname Rafton-Canning, became a very prominent photographer of the Canadian frontier, now archived in Canada's National Archives. Though Achilles' and Arthur's births were recorded at the British Consul in Paris, George's birth record, if there was one, has not been found.

Rafton's father was Alfred Canning, a civil engineer, born circa 1785, location unknown. Alfred died 1851 in Rotherhithe south of London. He was known to his French grandchildren as George Richard Canning (they may never have met him). His son in Australia gave his father's identity as Francis Canning, officer in the Army. Alfred certainly did not want posterity to know his full identity. He was said to have been "the youngest son of a most honorable family," and was decorated by the Prince Consort for his inventions, sometime around 1850. His children seem to have been born in France or London; several of them surely lived in France. His last child, Baltriune Canning, was born 1837, Rotherhithe ~ the only one for whom we have a document.

Alfred was devoted to designing things for the Navy and for use at sea, and may have made munitions as well (he left a grenade with his wife when he died).

Is it my imagination, or do these chess pieces bear some close resemblances to bullets?




All Pieces are Present, save for a single ball-headed pawn (extra piece),
which has gone missing for now


The Five White Pieces


The Five White Pieces, Knight Facing Front


The Bishop, Knight and Rook


Pieces Crowded, Rook Detail


Bottoms of Pieces, Detail