Gabriel Christie (British Army Officer) - Canadian Seigneur

Canadian Seigneur

Christie was based in the West Indies during most of the American Revolution, but in the 1780s, when his active role in the army was completed, he settled in Quebec where he had already started with his intentions of becoming a significant Seigneur there. In 1764, he purchased six seigneuries from noble French Canadian families returning to France after the Conquest. The first was the seigneury of L’Islet-du-Portage, from Paul-Joseph Le Moyne de Longueuil (son of Charles le Moyne de Longueuil, Baron de Longueuil), but he sold it in 1777 preferring land closer to Montreal. His second and third purchases were in partnership with Moses Hazen, acquiring the seigneuries of Bleury and Sabrevois from Clément Sabrevois de Bleury (father of Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury) for £7,300. His fourth purchase was with John Campbell (1721-1795), buying the seigneury of Noyan from the Payen de Noyan family. In 1765, he purchased the seigneury of Lacolle, from the family of Jacques-Philippe Saveuse de Beaujeu. Finally, he purchased the seigneury of Léry from Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry. Around 1777, he added the seigneuries of Lachenaie and Repentigny to his lands. He owned land in England too, but even these seigneurial acquisitions were not enough to satisfy his ambition: In 1792, he made two unsuccessful requests for land grants in the Eastern Townships. His final purchase was in 1796, when Jean-Baptiste Boucher de Niverville sold him the seigneury of Chambly.

Christie hired agents to look after his extensive land holdings and lived comfortably in Montreal with his family until his death, despite a few set backs. His property along the Richelieu River was devastated during the American American Invasion of Canada in 1775. The seigneuries near St. Johns that he purchased with Hazen also created difficulties for him as during the War of Independence Hazen sided with the armies under Richard Montgomery who invaded Quebec. Hazen and Christie were in court for years over their failed business partnership.