Seigneurial System of New France Seigneurial System The

Seigneurial System of New France

Seigneurial System The seigneurial system was a system of land distribution that was used in France since the Middle Ages. n The king granted large pieces of land to seigneurs who were usually wealthy and important citizens. n The seigneurs usually kept the largest pieces of land for themselves and divided the rest to the habitant families. n

n n Rivers were very important to New France being their means of communication and transportation. Each seigneury had frontage on a river and were long narrow rectangles that extended back inland from the rivers. Eventually when all the frontage lots along the river were filled up, a second row of seigneuries were developed.

Rules of the Game n The seigneur had responsibilities to the king and toward the habitants and the habitants had responsibilities to the seigneur.

Seigneur owed the King…. Seigneur had to kneel and swear obedience to the King. Divide seigneury into lots for the habitants. Build church, residence and gristmill for habitants. Send all oak trees cut on land to king’s Shipyards. Report annually how much land was cleared and how many grants were given to habitants.

Seigneur owed the habitants… Grant them farms. n Promise them the right to stay on land if they honoured their contract. n Provide protection. n Build a gristmill for grinding wheat into flour. n Provide land for a church and help build it. n

The habitants owed the Seigneur… Promise to build a house and clear land. n Pay annual taxes “cents et rentes” which could be goods such as pigs, wheat or chickens. n Work 3 days each year on the seigneur’s fields. n Promise to take their grain to the seigneur’s mill and pay 1/14 th of the grain they grind. n

The habitants owed the Seigneur… cont’ n n Give the seigneur a portion of the fish they caught in the river. Give the seigneur some of the wood they cut on the property. Promise to help build a church and pay the priest. Honour the seigneur with a special pew in the local church.