Name: ______History 404
Seigneurial System
The French government had a system for developing the land in New France. A fairly large area of land was granted to a seigneur (lord). The land he received was called a seigneury. In return for his grant the seigneur had to attract settlers to come to develop farms on his seigneury. If successful, he made money from the dues paid by his farmers. Settlers went to the seigneuries because it was a way to get land. If they cleared the forest and made a farm, the land because theirs to use. It was a way for poor people to have food and a place of their own. In return they had to work hard and pay dues to the seigneur.
The system had advantages for the government. It did not cost much to operate. The land was developed in an orderly way. The population grew as the seigneuries expanded. The farms produced most of the food needed by the colony. The first seigneuries were granted in 1623. By 1663 there were 53 seigneuries. When the British took over the colony in 1760 there were some 250 seigneuries. The system was not abolished until 1854.
Most seigneuries were similar in layout. Nearly all bordered a river – mainly the St Lawrence or the Richelieu. The land belonging to the seigneury stretched inland from the river. The seigneuries varied in size.
The seigneur kept a large piece of land called the domaine for himself. He built a manor house for his family and agreed to build a grist mill, often a windmill, to grind the farmers’ grain.
The land along the river was divided into lots (concessions). Each lot had to be cleared for farmland by a settler and his family. Since many of the trees were tall and well-rooted it took many years of toil to clear the lot.
The lots were long and narrow in shape. A typical size was 3 arpents wide by 30 arpents long (175 metres by 1755 metres). The narrow end bordered the river. The long lot stretched back from the river. The farm buildings were close to one another along the river road. Most farms kept some woodlot at the far end of the farm. This provided firewood and lumber for the farm.
Once all the lots along the river were taken, the seigneur opened up a second rang (range) inland. Long, narrow lots stretched back from the new range road. Farm houses were built close to the range road. Roads called montées connecte4d the ranges of farms. A montée passed between two narrow farm lots. There were no farm buildings along the montées.
Once the community started to grow, a church was built. The church was usually close to the seigneur’s manor house. The priest<s home and the cemetery were close to the church. The church was the centre of many social activities. Usually, the village was known by the name of the patron saint of the church.
Population – French Régime
Congratulations! You got a summer job at the Fort de Chambly! As part of the historical tour, you have to explain to the visitors how New France came to be the Quebec and Canada it is today. In order to do so, you have to explain why the land looks the way it does today.
In front of them, the visitors have the sketch bellow, which shows the important features of a typical seigneury in its first years of development. Bellow, write the explanation you would give the visitors. Identify the main features. (Use the information you have on the seigneurial system and to explain the sketch.)
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