Bancroft is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was first settled in the 1850s by Unit…Bancroft is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was first settled in the 1850s by United Empire Loyalists and Irish immigrants. From the mid-1950s to about 1982, mining was the primary industry. A village until 1999, Bancroft then merged with Dungannon Township to form the Town of Bancroft. The population at the time of the 2016 Census was 3,881; the regional population is 40,000. There are 150,000 visitors to Bancroft, annually.