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 Le Meunier / Farinier | The Miller

The meunier, or miller, was a person who owned and/or operated a mill — a machine used to grind a cereal crop to make flour. He oversaw all the operations that went into milling grain. Then, he bagged the flour, weighed it, stored it as needed, and collected revenue from it.

Originally, the miller used a quern-stone, a large stone as a base and another movable stone operated by hand, similar to a mortar and pestle. As technology improved, more elaborate machines such as watermills and windmills were developed to do the grinding work. These mills harnessed available energy sources including water and wind.

The very first mill in New France was the Hébert windmill built in 1616. Samuel de Champlain built the second mill in 1628, this one powered by water. By 1652, there were at least 8 mills in the colony. The millstones (called a “meule”) used by the millers were often sourced in 2- and 4-ton pieces from La Ferté-sous-Jouarre in France.

Milling is among the oldest of human occupations, and bread one of the oldest and oft-consumed man-made foods. The mill was therefore an extremely important part of the colonists’ lives in New France. Under the seigneurie system, the seigneur was required to build a gristmill for his tenants, or censitaires. In turn, they were obligated to use the seigneurie’s mill, and to give one bag of flour out of every 14 to the seigneur.

In rural settings, the mill, along with the church and the seigniorial manor, were the most important and recognizable structures. Given the importance of flour in the colonists’ diet (as bread was the primary staple), the miller was an important figure. He and his family normally lived on the second floor of the mill.

“Appreciated, detested, feared and consulted, the miller has a special place in the society of the Ancien Régime. He spends his life alone or with a few assistants, often relatives or apprentices, their eyes and lungs irritated by grain and flour dust. He works in good and bad mills. At times, he has ambiguous relations with the authorities. Ultimately he contributes to the most important aspect of the colony — its survival.” (Laperle)

The meunier could also be called a meusnier, moulinier or molinier. As of the 20th century, there was little difference between the definitions of a meunier and a farinier (derived from the word “farine”, or flour). Prior to this, however, the farinier was paid more than the miller, and his work was considered more specialized. He knew the art of making flour, while the miller simply operated the mill.

The occupational surnames Meunier and Menier still exist in Canada today, as does Miller.

Learn about the water-powered Shaw Mill in Eganville, Ontario

• Known persons who had the occupation of “maître meunier” (master miller) in New France: Pierre Mercereau, François Travers, Abel Turcault/Turcot

• Known persons who had the occupation of “meunier” (miller) in New France: Bertrand dit Desrochers, Jean Ardouin, Nicolas Barabé, Jacques Beaufort, Jean Beaune, René Bénard, Pierre Bernard, Pierre Bissonnet, René Blanchet, Alexandre Boursier dit Lavigne, Jacques Bouthillet, Philippe Boyer, Michel Brouillet dit Laviolette, Jean Br(o)usseau, Pierre Brunet, Guillaume Cartier, Jean Charbonneau, René Chartier, Pierre Chonard, Jean Dangeuger dit Lechasseur, Louis Déry, Maurice Déry, Pierre Déry, Jean-Baptiste Deveau, Jean Duguay, Julien Dumont, Michel Durand, Claude Duval dit Vinaigre, Jean-Baptiste Edmund, Léonard Fonjamis dit Vadeboncoeur, Guillaume Forget dit Despatis, Jacques Frichet, Ignace Giroux, Jacques Goulet, Mathurin Grain, Pierre Gravel, Guillaume Guérin, François Harel, Joseph Harel, Jacques Heude(s), Pierre Hunault dit Deschamps, Jean Janvier, Jean Joubert, Michel Joubert, Jean Lafond, Charles Laîné dit Laliberté, Jean Lecomte, Jacques Lemarié, David Létourneau, Dominique Létourneau, Philippe Létourneau, Jean Luminas/Mineau, Rolland Maguet, Jean Masson, Charles Morin, Philippe Noël, Claude Panneton, Honoré Pedeau, Jean Péladeau dit Saint-Jean, Jean Pénisson, Joseph Pénisson, Joseph Plamondon, Jean Poineau, François Poitras, François Quenneville, Pierre Raymoneau, René Richard, Pierre Salvail, Pierre Savary, Jean Sicard, Simon Sicard, Thomas Simon, Jean Tibierge, François Travers, Abel Turcault/Turcot

• Known persons who had the occupation of “maître farinier” in New France: Jean-Baptiste Bédard, Pierre Bernard, Charles Breillard dit Laroche, Jean Chamberland, Maurice Déry, Jean-Baptiste Devault, René Gagné, Ignace Giroux, Jean Lafond, Barthélemi Sicard, Honoré Tesson

• Known persons who had the occupation of “farinier” in New France: Étienne Ardouin, François Arsenault, Jacques Beaufort, Pierre Bernard, Pierre Blanchet, André Bonin dit Delisle, Charles Breillard dit Laroche, Jean Br(o)usseau, Joseph Charpentier, Maurice Déry, Pierre Desrochers, Louis Deveau, Pierre Dousset, Léonard Fonjamis dit Vadeboncoeur, Jacques Fréchet, Jean Gibault, Joseph Harel, Jean Joubert, Pierre Joubert, Alexis Langlois, François Langlois, David Létourneau, Dominique Létourneau, Jacques Létourneau, Philippe Létourneau, Jean Luminas/Mineau, Pierre Mandin, Pierre Mercereau, Jean Métayer, Jean Mét(h)ot, Louis Nadeau, Claude Panneton, François Péloquin, Jean Penisson, Pierre Périgord, François Poisson, François Quenneville, Thomas Simon, Pierre Simon dit Delorme, Honoré Tesson, François Travers, Antoine Trottier, Augustin Trottier

Sources and further reading:

• Archéotec inc. 2008. “Patrimoine archéologique des moulins du Québec”. Study commissioned for the Ministry of Culture, Government of Québec. https://www.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/documents/publications/patrimoine/archeologie/EtudesMoulin.pdf.

• Laperle, Dominique. 2004. “Tourne les mouslanges” : quand le meunier fabriquait sa farine en Nouvelle-France. Cap-aux-Diamants, (78), pages 30–33. Érudit, https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cd/2004-n78-cd1046031/7240ac.pdf.

• Jeanne Pomerleau, Arts et métiers de nos ancêtres : 1650-1950 (Montréal, Québec: Guérin, 1994), 277-292.