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Seigneurial system

The seigneurial system was established in New France in the 1620s and served as a framework for the occupation of the territory by French settlers in the colony. This land ownership regime established a hierarchical relationship between seigneurs, landholders, and censitaires (tenants), who were granted a censive in exchange for quitrent (fixed rent). Between 75 and 80 per cent of the population lived in seigneuries until they were officially abolished in 1854. The seigneurial regime nevertheless persisted until the 1940s as a result of the annuities that had to be paid to seigneurs by censitaires, who, for the most part, had not bought their land. Owing to its exceptional longevity, the seigneurial regime occupies an important place in the socio-economic evolution of Quebec, as seen to this day in place names, certain extant buildings, and the geometry of the Laurentian landscape that originated when plots of land were laid out as censives.

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Other Resources

Canada A Country by Consent: New France: Seigneurial System
Seigneurial System - The Canadian Encyclopedia
Seigneurial system - Wikipedia
Seigneurial system of New France - Wikipedia
Settlement - Library and Archives Canada. Content archived on 22 July 2022

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