Grade 8 Seigneurial Systems

The Grade 8 Sciences Humaines class continues their exploration of the founding of New France. In particular, students examined the unique physical geography of the seigneurial system implemented by the French on what they considered unowned and uninhabited land. Students learned that we are now keenly aware today that these lands were in large part used by indigenous peoples at the time, while the foreign and unsupported concept of land ownership to the indigenous made it easier for Europeans to lay claim to land they considered unowned.

The most recent at home project completed by our class had them illustrate the standard makeup of these small, rural, agrarian, and hierarchical communities which popped up all over New France during the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Their projects demonstrate the neat, clean-lined system that separated plots of land from one another, which we largely carry forward today. Just look out the window from a plane and you can see this type of land division in action all over the country.

What has changed? Well, students learned that many of these communities, or seigneuries, had their own church, source of water, and sometimes a mill. They also learned that the inhabitants or renters, known as les censitaires, would be required to work on the land provided to them by their landlord or lord, known as le seigneur, who was granted land by the king of France. This is where we get the term for the system after which it is named; the seigneurial system. The inhabitants would also be required to pay their lord a usage fee for the land, known as un redevance, normally in goods they produced. The inhabitants were also required to pay the Church a tax in goods or money, known as the tithe, or in French, la dîme.

Students really demonstrated their imaginativeness by creating their own rendition of what a seigneurie would resemble, labelled with what one might find. Have a look at their great work!