Bancroft, town, Hastings county, in the highlands of southeastern Ontario, Canada. Bancroft lies 60 miles (95 km) northeast of Peterborough. It originated as a farming settlement called York River in 1855 but later became a lumbering community and was renamed in 1878 for Phoebe Bancroft, wife of Senator Billa Flint, a prominent Canadian politician of the late 1800s. Mining was a major industry in the early 20th century but is no longer practiced. Bancroft became a centre for rock collectors, with examples of about 80 percent of Canada’s minerals found in the vicinity. The annual Bancroft Gemboree attracts many rock collectors from around the world. Bancroft’s access to lakes, rivers, and streams for recreation has made tourism the focus of the local economy. Pop. (2006) 3,838; (2011) 3,880.