André Robidou dit l'Espagnol & Jeanne Denot
A biography of André Robidou dit l'Espagnol, a Spanish sailor, and Jeanne Denot, a fille du roi, who both sailed from France to find a better life in New France.
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André Robidou dit l'Espagnol & Jeanne Denot
A Spanish Mariner and a Fille du roi in New France
André Robidou dit l'Espagnol, the son of Emmanuel (or Manuel) Robidou and Catherine Alve, was born circa 1640 in the parish of Santa Maria (in the diocese of Burgos), Galicia, Spain. Because of its common name, we don't know with certainty which town the parish of Santa Maria was located in. Researchers have not been able to find a baptism record for André.
Burgos, Spain, likely close to where André was born (map data ©2021 Google)
"French navy sailors, circa 1690", Canadian Military History Gateway
From Spain, André made his way to the west coast of France. In early 1661, he worked as a sailor in Nantes in Bretagne (Brittany). Recruited by merchant Antoine Grignon, André signed a 3-year indenture contract before notary Pierre Moreau in La Rochelle, Aunis (present-day department of Charente-Maritime), on April 20, 1661. He agreed to work as a "matelot", or mariner, for Eustache Lambert in Québec (City), New France, at a salary of 80 livres. Lambert was an interpreter and fur-trader. André would be fed during his voyage and for the duration of his employment. He was not able to sign the contract but left his mark. André likely sailed aboard Le Taureau or La Marguerite, arriving at Québec in the summer of 1661.
André Robidou's 1661 work contract (in which he is called "Roberdou"), including his mark on the bottom left (Archives départementales de la Charente Maritime)
After his indenture ended, André decided to settle in New France. On June 15, 1664, he received a land concession from the Hôtel-Dieu in Québec located on the côte and seigneurie of Lauzon (present-day Lévis, Québec).
What is a Seigneurie?
The seigneurie was a large piece of land granted by the Governor and the Intendant to a seigneur. The seigneurial system was established in New France in 1627 and abolished in 1854. In this system, the seigneur divided his lands between censitaires (settlers, or inhabitants), who could then clear the land and cultivate it, as well as erect buildings on it. Each portion of land was called a censive. Most of these trapeze-shaped lots were along the St-Lawrence or other river, with one narrow side facing the river or a road.
Present-day satellite view of the Saint-Lawrence River in the province of Québec, showing clear evidence of the old seignorial system with its narrow lots facing the river (map data ©2021 Google)
The censitaire tenant paid an annual rent to the seigneur, and also paid to have his grain milled at the seigneurie’s gristmill. In addition to these payments, he paid for cens, a rather symbolic payment which indicated that the habitant’s land was at the bottom of the feudal hierarchy and could not be sub-licensed. These payments of cens et rente meant that the habitant was the proprietor of his land and could therefore donate it as part of his inheritance, rent it, or sell it, as long as he paid lods et vente, taxes equivalent to 1/12 of the sale value.
The seigneur did not have many responsibilities towards his habitants. He was obligated to build a mill for his tenants, and they in turn were required to grind their grain there and provide him with one sack of flour out of every 14 produced. The seigneur also had the right to demand a specific number of days of forced labour (called the corvée) of his habitants and could claim rights over fishing, timber and common pastures. Learn more at the Canadian Encyclopedia.
In 1666, André was enumerated in the New France census still living with Eustache Lambert (his employer) and his family in Québec. He was recorded as a 26-year-old "mathellot" (matelot, or mariner). Contrary to the other men in the household, André was not listed as an "engagé" (indentured worker) because his 3-year indenture contract had expired.
1666 New France census for the household of Eustache Lambert (Library and Archives Canada)
What did a "Matelot" do?
On sailing ships, the "matelot" (sailor or mariner) trimmed the sails and, under the master's orders, performed all the operations of the masts and yards, the rigging, and the maneuvers. In New France, however, the role of the sailor went beyond the traditional. Some of the sailors' engagement contracts specified that they were expected to serve as labourers or perform any other duty the governor ordered. They were asked to cut wood and work the fields. At times, the sailors performed the same duties as soldiers. They worked side by side to arm the colony's forts and use the cannons. Many sailors eventually became soldiers.
Jeanne Denot, the daughter of Antoine Denot and Catherine Leduc, was born circa 1645 in the parish of St-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Paris, France. (Jeanne's surname varies greatly on documents: Denot, Denote, Denotte, Denault, etc.)
Undated postcard of the parish church of St-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Paris (Geneanet)
St-Germain-l'Auxerrois
Located on the right bank of the Seine River in Paris' 1st arrondissement, St-Germain-l'Auxerrois is one of the oldest parishes in the city. The existing church building was constructed between the 12th and 15th century, and features a Gothic style porch, a Renaissance portal, and a Romanesque bell tower. Historically, the church was the parish of the Kings of France. The church of St-Germain-l'Auxerrois also has a dark place in French history: on 24 Aug 1572, its bells were rung to announce the start of the St-Bartholomew's Day massacre, part of the wars of religion. Thousands of Huguenots died at the hands of Parisian mobs.
After the death of her father, Jeanne left France around 1666 as a "fille du roi". Of all the filles du roi, we know that more than half were paternal orphans like Jeanne and about 20% were maternal orphans. After her arrival, Jeanne lived with the Ursuline nuns in Québec for about a year.
Marriage
On May 16, 1667, André Robidou and Jeanne Denot had a marriage contract drawn up before notary Pierre Duquet de la Chesnaye in Québec. Neither spouse was able to sign. The couple married on June 7, 1667, in the parish church of Notre-Dame in Québec. André was about 27 years old; Jeanne was about 22. (The marriage record mistakenly refers to Jeanne's surname as Leduc, her mother's name).
André and Jeanne's 1667 marriage record
The couple settled in Laprairie (present-day La Prairie, Québec) and had at least 5 children:
Romaine (1669-1697)
Marguerite (1671-1672)
Jeanne (1673-1736)
Guillaume (1675-1754)
Joseph (1678-1728)
Sometime before December 4, 1672, André had acquired a plot of land on the Saint-Jacques River, in the seigneurie of Laprairie. On this date, he exchanged this land with Jean Caillou for a property on Côte de la Tortue in Laprairie. On the same day, another notarial act was registered for the sale of André's property in the village of La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine (Laprairie) to Pierre Lefebvre.
The 1678 burial of André Robidou dit l'Espagnol
A Premature Death
André Robidou dit l'Espagnol died suddenly at the age of about 38, in the home of surgeon Fomblanche. He was buried in the parish of Notre-Dame on April 1, 1678, in Montréal. The burial record indicates that he was a resident of Laprairie.
Finding herself a widow with four young children to care for, Jeanne quickly remarried after the death of her husband. She wed Jacques Surprenant dit Sansoucy, a soldier with the Contrecoeur Company of the Carignan Regiment, on August 16, 1678, in Laprairie. The couple had at least eight children: Jean, Marguerite, Pierre, Laurent, Catherine, Claude, Marie, and Anne.
Widowhood and Remarriage
The reality of living in New France meant that marriages lasting over 20 years were rare. When a spouse died, it was crucial for the widow or widower to remarry quickly. Most couples had numerous children, and taking care of them alone was a difficult proposition. Widows had a harder time finding a husband than a widower, given that they normally had a house full of children and little capital to their name. The younger she was, the quicker she remarried. It took an average of three years for a widow to remarry. For a widower, the average was two years. Things were slightly different in the very early days of the colony. Before 1680, about half of widows and widowers remarried within a year of their spouse's death.
In 1681, Jeanne and Jacques were recorded in the New France census living in Laprairie with their children: Jeanne, Guillaume, Joseph (the three Robidou children) and Marguerite (Surprenant). They had six arpents of cleared land, two cows and one gun.
1681 New France census for Jacques and Jeanne's household (Library and Archives Canada)
Jeanne Denot died sometime between January 20, 1692 (burial of daughter Anne), and October 10, 1701 (marriage of son Joseph, where she is recorded as deceased). Jacques Surprenant dit Sansoucy died at the age of about 66. He was buried on 16 Jul 1710 in the parish cemetery of Laprairie.
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Sources and further reading:
Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH), Université de Montréal (https://www.prdh-igd.com), dictionary entry for André Robidoux Lespagnol, person #65032.
Parchemin, notarial database of ancient Québec (1626-1801), under the direction of Hélène Lafortune and Normand Robert, Société de recherche historique Archiv-Histo (www.Archiv-Histo.com), index for a land concession given to André Robidou, 15 Jun 1664.
Guy Perron, "Les engagés levés par Antoine Grignon et Michel Pelletier pour le Canada en 1661", Le blogue de Guy Perron (https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/188-les-engages-leves-par-antoine-grignon-et-michel-pelletier-pour-le-canada-en-1661/), 18 Dec 2017.
René Jetté and the PRDH, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730 (Montréal, Gaëtan Morin Éditeur, 1983), page 996, entry for André Robidou dit L'Espagnol.
André Lachance, Vivre, aimer et mourir en Nouvelle-France; Juger et punir en Nouvelle-France: la vie quotidienne aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (Montréal, Québec: Éditions Libre Expression, 2004).
G. Debien, “Engagés pour le Canada au XVIIe siècle vus de La Rochelle”, Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française (Sep 1952), Volume 6, numéro 2; electronic edition, Érudit (https://doi.org/10.7202/301517ar).
"Recensement du Canada, 1666", Library and Archives Canada (https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/), entry for André Robidou, 1666, Québec, page 15 of 147, Finding aid no. MSS0446, MIKAN no. 2318856; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
"Recensement du Canada fait par l'intendant Du Chesneau", Library and Archives Canada (https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/), entry for Jacques Surprenant, 14 Nov 1681, Québec, Finding aid no. MSS0446, MIKAN no. 2318858; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
"Fonds Ministère des Terres et Forêts - BAnQ Québec", notarial database, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (https://advitam.banq.qc.ca/notice/276347), "Échange entre André Robidou (Robidoux) et Jean Cailloud (Caillou) d'une terre sur la Rivière Saint-Jacques", 4 Dec 1672, Cote : E21,S64,SS5,SSS15,D1,P28, ID 276347.
"Fonds Ministère des Terres et Forêts - BAnQ Québec", notarial database, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (https://advitam.banq.qc.ca/notice/276357), "Accommodement du logis et place située au village de La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine (Laprairie) entre André Robidou (Robidoux) et Pierre Lefebvre", 4 Dec 1672, Cote : E21,S64,SS5,SSS15,D1,P29, ID 276357.
Peter Gagné, Kings Daughters & Founding Mothers: the Filles du Roi, 1663-1673, Volume One (Orange Park, Florida : Quintin Publications, 2001), 204.
"Quebec, Canada, Notarial Records, 1637-1935", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), marriage contract index of André Robidou and Jeanne Leduc, 16 May 1667, Québec (Québec); citing original data: Fonds Cour Supérieure. Greffes de notaires. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
"Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), marriage of André Robidou and Jeanne Denot dite Leduc, 7 Jun 1667, Québec (Québec); citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.
"Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), burial of André L'Espagnol, 1 Apr 1678, Laprairie (Notre-Dame-de-LaPrairie-de-la-Madeleine); citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.
"Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), marriage of Jacques Surprenant and Jeanne Denote, 16 Aug 1678, Laprairie (Notre-Dame-de-LaPrairie-de-la-Madeleine); citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.
"Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), burial of Jacques Surprenant Sansoucy, 16 Jul 1710, Laprairie (Notre-Dame-de-LaPrairie-de-la-Madeleine); citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.