Seigneurial, << seen YUR ee uhl, >> system, also spelled seigniorial, was the traditional method of landholding in France. It came into use in colonies that France established in eastern Canada during the early 1600’s and lasted about 250 years. The system did much to strengthen the growth of French culture in Canada.
The king of France granted large areas of land in Canada to nobles, religious groups, military officers, and merchants. The grants, called seigneuries, generally covered from 12 to 100 square miles (31 to 260 square kilometers). Many of them bordered the St. Lawrence River and extended inland in narrow strips. The owners, called seigneurs, rented sections of their land to farmers. Each year, the farmers, known as habitants or censitaires, gave the seigneurs a share of the harvest, a fee, and several days work without pay. Habitants and seigneurs in turn owed the king military service and helped build public roads.
The number of habitants in Canada increased during the 1700’s, and the seigneurs earned large profits. But many of the holdings limited urban and industrial growth during the early 1800’s. The Canadian government abolished the seigneurial system in 1854.
