Seigneur, seigneurie

In New France, the seigneurs were the people to whom the authorities gave or sold large tracts of land, provided that they cleared it, built houses and populated the seigneurie. In order to do this, seigneurs recruited hired men who did this work under contract. At the end of the contract, most hired men accepted to settle on the seigneurie where they had worked so far. The seigneur sold them a parcel of land and guaranteed their security and well-being. The new colonists had some obligations towards the seigneur, such as giving him a small portion of their annual harvest.