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Militia Captain

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Le Capitaine de milice | The Militia Captain 

"French Canadian Militia" (1910 watercolour painting by Mary Elizabeth Bonham, Wikimedia Commons).

"French Canadian Militia" (1910 watercolour painting by Mary Elizabeth Bonham, Wikimedia Commons).

As of 1669 in New France, all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 had to serve in the militia to support the regular troops in defending the colony. Each parish had at least one company, directed by a captain who was named by the governor. Roughly 50 men served within one militia company. The militia captain was assisted by lieutenants, ensigns and sergeants.

The militia captain's role was to divide inhabitants into squads, procure them weapons, and train them in their handling. He was also assigned the task of repairing the roads that led to the seigniorial road, and reading out any orders issued by the governor general or the intendant. The task of enumerating all residents via the census also fell to the militia captain.

He was normally a respected man, well established, with a good moral reputation and recognized leadership skills. Taking his orders from the governor (orders he was obliged to execute), he occupied a sought-after position almost equal to that of the seigneur and the parish priest. In a way, he acted as the liaison between the colony’s administration and parish inhabitants. He had to know how to read and write, and be somewhat financially well off, as the position of militia captain wasn’t remunerated. It was a sought-after role because of the honour it bestowed upon him and the influence it provided him within the community. At church, the militia captain sat directly behind the seigneur and took communion right after him, before all other parishioners.

After the Conquest, the English authorities entrusted the militia captains with a host of responsibilities relating mainly to justice, including escorting those arrested by order of the justice of the peace.

 
 

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