Transcript The Seigneurial System

Landholding in New France
Roman Connection
 The Roman conquered both Britain and France (Gaul)
 The Gauls were fierce, independent fighters who died
rather than submit to Roman rule
 The Brits did submit to Roman rule, thereby
preserving the lives of their people
The Grid System
 Because the Romans were
more accepted in Britain,
they brought in new
technology and new ideas
 One of these was the grid
system of landholding
 This system was possible
because they introduced
their method of irrigation
What About the Gauls?
 Because the Gauls would not
submit to the Romans they were
treated very harshly – even
being used as gladiators in the
Roman “theatre”
 The Romans did not spend
much time developing this
region, only building what was
essential – roads, bridges, etc,
 The Gauls (now the French)
therefore had to come up with
their own method of
landholding – without the
benefit of Roman technology
Enter the Seigneurial System
 It was understood that each farm (roture) needed
access to water
 The only water available was from the river
 Therefore each farm had to border the river
 So, they split the land up in long, thin strips, each one
having a small border on the river
Layout of a Seigneurie
The king, through the governor, would grant a
large tract of land to a “worthy” individual. Worth
was based on wealth, power and social position
within the colony. At first only minor nobles could
become seigneurs, but later wealthy habitants,
church officials, and military officers were also
welcomed as landowners.
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The new seigneur would first select a piece of land for himself – usually the
largest and best land. Often he selected land either in the middle of the
seigneurie – to better keep an eye on his tenants, or as far upriver as possible
so as to get the cleanest water. He then divided up the remainder of the land
into ROTURES, or farms and set about finding HABITANTS, or farmers to
rent out the land
Within one year of settlement, the houses had to be built and within three years the
property had to be cleared and ready for farming. Houses were placed along the
river to make it easier to get water into the house, to provide easy access to
transportation, and to allow the neighbours to interact more readily with each other.
The seigneur also had to provide a church and a flour mill for the use of the
habitants. Legally, only Catholics were allowed to live in the colony, so the churches
were, of course, Catholic. The flour mill was to grind wheat into flour for use by the
habitants. For each 10 bags ground, the seigneur was owed one. Both the church
and the mill were usually built with corvee labour.
The Governor of the colony built major roadways to connect larger towns and
cities. The Seigneur was required to provide all the habitants with access to
that road, either by boat or by road. Roads and a ferry would therefore become
part of the seigneurie.
Life as an
habitant was far
better than that of
a peasant in
France.
Generally
habitants were
well treated, had
plenty to eat and
could, through
hard work, rise to
a position of
importance in the
colony.
The land of the
individual roture
was generally
planted with
wheat or other
grain crops, while
the rest was left
as pasture for the
livestock. Near
the house would
be a small
orchard and a
large vegetable
garden with a
tobacco patch in
the corner.
of the Seigneur and Habitant
Rights of the Seigneur
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Trade with the Native people, fish, hunt
Receive rental payments from the habitants
Have an annual festival held in his honour
Receive CORVEE from the habitants
Assistance from the governor when building roads or
settling disputes with the habitants
 Fief and Manor
Rights of the Habitant
 Live, hunt, farm and fish on their rental property
 Access to the church, mill, roads and river
 Schooling
 Hospitals
 Social welfare
 Central protective barrier
 Access to the lower court
 Pass on the rental to sons or daughters
 Leave whenever they wanted, provided the rent
was paid
Responsibilities of the Seigneur
 Find the settlers to live on the land
 Do a detailed survey of the land and report to the governor
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and king
Build a flour mill, central protective barrier, church, roads,
ferry (if required)
Form a lower court
Collect and pay taxes to the governor
Advise the king of any minerals found
Conserve oak trees
Leave sandbars open for fishermen
Give land to the king if/when he needed it
Responsibilities of the Habitant
 Construct a house within 1 year
 Clear and cultivate land within 3 years
 Pay rent and taxes
 Pay a portion of all produce to seigneur
 10% of all grain milled, fish caught, meat hunted, etc.
 Deliver corvee
 Hold an annual festival in the seigneur’s honour
 Be properly respectful to the nobility (fief and
manor)