The Lost Code

Privileges of the Seigneur

Seigneur at Church

Musée de la civilisation, bibliothèque du Séminaire de Québec.
Roux, Paul. - « Sans titre » in : Drolet, Gilles. Missionnaire en Nouvelle-France : Pierre-Joseph-Marie Chaumonot, 1611-1693. Sainte-Foy : A. Sigier, [1989?]. – P. 48, [1re case]. Cote 271.5302 C497d

As the king's representatives, seigneurs were the social leaders of their seigneurie and enjoyed certain honorary privileges. They sat in the front pew at church and were the only ones allowed to be buried under the church. They enjoyed pride of place during mass and official ceremonies. Once a year, on May 1, censitaires paid homage to the seigneur by planting a tree (known as a mai) in front of his manor.

Seigneurs also enjoyed economic privileges. All censitaires had to pay them a number of fees, including cens, rentes, lods et ventes, and a miller's fee. Seigneurs had cutting rights, which allowed them to stock up on wood from censitaire land, and censitaires were required to give them days of unpaid work (known as a corvée) and a portion of the fish they caught. Seigneurs could take back unused land and had first right of refusal on lands put up for sale, which they could then resell. They were entitled to set up lower and mid-level civil courts for cases involving small sums.