New FranceNew France

The Seigneurial SystemThe Seigneurial System

The Seigneurial SystemThe Seigneurial System SeigneuriesSeigneuries – a – a

large piece of large piece of land in New land in New France given to a France given to a SeigneurSeigneur by the by the King or the King or the Governor. Governor.

SeigneurSeigneur – a “land – a “land lord” who was given a lord” who was given a piece of land by the piece of land by the king.king.

(They were usually (They were usually wealthy , important wealthy , important citizens e.g. retired citizens e.g. retired military leaders, military leaders, bishops, merchants. )bishops, merchants. )

The seigneurs The seigneurs had to split the had to split the large piece of large piece of land into smaller land into smaller pieces and gave pieces and gave them to settlers them to settlers (called (called Habitants).Habitants).

(In addition to (In addition to giving the land giving the land away, the away, the Seigneur had to Seigneur had to build a small build a small church or chapel, church or chapel, and a mill where and a mill where the habitants the habitants could grind their could grind their wheat into flour.)wheat into flour.)

(All the (All the seigneuries and seigneuries and all of the settler’s all of the settler’s strips of land had strips of land had access to the access to the river (at least at river (at least at first)first)

(They all needed (They all needed water frontage water frontage because the rivers because the rivers were the highways were the highways of New France.of New France.

There were very There were very few roads, and few roads, and most of those were most of those were of very poor of very poor quality.)quality.)

                                                                                                                                                      

Seigneurial System, Satellite ImageThis satellite photo shows clearly the land tenure system of the seigneurial system, by which the maximum number of farmers were given access to the river, the only highway in New France. Successive generations were given land in the second and third rows (courtesy Canada Centre for Remote Sensing).

(As the population (As the population grew and the grew and the river front was river front was filled up, a second filled up, a second row of seigneuries row of seigneuries was developed was developed with no frontage with no frontage on the rivers.)on the rivers.)

HabitantHabitant – a – a settler who settler who worked on the worked on the land given to land given to him by the him by the Seigneur.Seigneur.

(The habitants (The habitants could make a good could make a good living on the land living on the land given to them. given to them. They built their own They built their own log homes, cleared log homes, cleared and farmed their and farmed their land, and produced land, and produced enough to live on.enough to live on.

However, the However, the habitants owed habitants owed something to the something to the seigneur for letting seigneur for letting them live there.)them live there.)

The habitants had The habitants had to pay a rent to pay a rent called the called the cens et cens et rentes.rentes.

These were not overly high and could usually be paid in goods from the farm or with labour.

(The Habitants (The Habitants also agreed to also agreed to give 3 days each give 3 days each year to help farm year to help farm the Seigneurs’ the Seigneurs’ piece of land piece of land (usually during (usually during planting and planting and harvesting harvesting season).season).

Why do you think the Seigneur would have the Habitants work during those times of the year?

(They also had to (They also had to agree to give him agree to give him 1/141/14thth of the flour of the flour they produced at they produced at the mill, a certain the mill, a certain amount of the amount of the wood cut on their wood cut on their land, and some of land, and some of the fish they the fish they caught on their caught on their river front.)river front.)

(This was usually (This was usually enough labour to enough labour to ensure that the ensure that the Seigneur lived a Seigneur lived a relatively relatively comfortable life.)comfortable life.)

Habitant’s Farm

The entire Seignurie was subdivided (as shown) into the habitant’s farms and the Seigneur’s land (the biggest, best piece).

Habitant’s House

Seigneur’s House

Please draw this in the spaceProvided on your work sheet.