Tenants in Time : Family Strategies, Land, and Liberalism in Upper Canada, 1799-1871

Life as a tenant farmer in a society where ownership was revered but tenancy was of vital importance. The freeholding pioneer is a powerful image in settlement history - Tenants in Time tells a different story. Tenancy, though relegated to the periphery by the liberal idealization of ownership, was a common and vital part of the economy and society. Against a background of international land agitation and using an inter-disciplinary approach, Catharine Wilson looks at life as a tenant farmer, providing new insights into family strategies, land markets, and the growth of liberalism. Using evidence from across Upper Canada she shows how tenancy transformed the landscape and tied old and new settlers together in a continuum of mutual dependence that was essential to settlement, capital creation, and social mobility. Her analysis of customary rights reveals a landlord-tenant relationship - and a concept of ownership - more complex and flexible than previously understood. Landlords, from ordinary farmers to absentee aristocrats, are also part of the story and the much-criticized clergy reserves take a positive role. An intimate exploration of Cramahe Township follows tenants over the generations as they supported their families and combined liberal ideas with household-centered ways. From aggregate statistics to individual human dramas, Tenants in Time unravels the life of the tenant farmer in a wonderfully documented, engaging, and compelling argument. "The freeholding pioneer is a powerful image in settlement history, Tenants in Time tells a different story. Tenancy, though relegated to the periphery by the liberal idealization of ownership, was a common and vital part of the economy and society. Against a background of international land agitation and using an inter-disciplinary approach, Catharine Wilson looks at life as a tenant farmer, providing new insights into family strategies, land markets, and the growth of liberalism." "Using evidence from across Upper Canada she shows how tenancy transformed the landscape and tied old and new settlers together in a continuum of mutual dependence that was essential to settlement, capital creation, and social mobility. Her analysis of customary rights reveals a landlord-tenant relationship - and a concept of ownership - more complex and flexible than previously understood. Landlords, from ordinary farmers to absentee aristocrats, are also part of the story and the much-criticized clergy reserves take a positive role. An intimate exploration of Northumberland County follows tenants over the generations as they supported their families and combined liberal ideas with household-centered ways."--Jacket Contents Maps and Tables Illustrations Acknowledgments PART ONE: PERSPECTIVES AND IDEOLOGIES 1 Introduction 2 The Ideology of Landholding PART TWO: TENANTS AND THEIR LIVES 3 Tenancy and Tenants 4 Their Landlords and the Landlord-Tenant Relationship 5 Their Rent 6 Their Lives within a Legal Framework: Distraint and Eviction 7 Their Legal and Customary Rights 8 Their Farms, Families, and Agricultural Practices 9 Their Aspirations, Successes, and Failures Conclusion APPENDICES A: Note on the Database and Sources B: Statistical Tables Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Tenancy was a common and vital part of the economy and society. Using evidence from across Upper Canada, this work shows how tenancy transformed the landscape and tied old and new settlers together in a continuum of mutual dependence that was essential to settlement, capital creation, and social mobility.