The Lost Code

The Seigneur's Duties

Seigneur Paying Fealty and Homage

Musée de la civilisation, bibliothèque du Séminaire de Québec.
Lowell, Orson. « Jean Guion before Boullé » in : Parkman, Francis. The old régime in Canada. Champlain ed. Boston : Little, Brown, 1897. (France and England in North America ; pt. 4) (The works of Francis Parkman ; 7-8). Vol. 2, p. 44. Loc. 289.6.20

Upon receiving a seigneurie, seigneurs had to pay the state a tax equal to 20% of the purchase price. They also had to pay fealty and homage to the king, represented by the intendant. Seigneurs thereby officially recognized the royal authority and agreed to loyally fulfill their duties to the state and to the censitaires in their seigneurie. They had to set aside oak (needed to build ships) and mines (whose minerals fattened the state's coffers) for the state. If required by the intendant, the seigneur had to produce an aveu et dénombrement, or a detailed description of the state of their seigneurie and an inventory of the revenues it generated.

Seigneurs were responsible for populating their seigneuries—or face losing them—and they were required to concede plots to those requesting them, build a flour mill, and make it available to censitaires for milling grain. They also had to set aside a commons, where all the cesitaires could pasture their livestock.