Lord Durham Rare Books

Place Published: Québec
Publisher: James Murray
Date Published: 1762
Edition: 1st Edition
Binding: No binding

WRITTEN ONLY THREE YEARS AFTER THE TAKING OF QUEBEC IN 1759

Marriage contract (certified copy of), 3-1/2 folio pages, 8 x 12-3/4 inches; Quebec, September 6, 1762. Seal of wax to the document. Near fine condition. Rare document drawn up in a few months of the transfer of New France to the English. Last marriage contract on August 3, 1747 between Jean Urbain Martel of Belleville (1708-Ca. 1764), director of the Forging mills of Saint-Maurice to Quebec, and young lady Elisabeth Gastin (she will die; the following year shortly after her first child), in the presence of Charles marquis de Beauharnois (1671-1749), “d' chief; squadron of the naval armies of its majesty, Governor and Lieutenant General for Roy in toutte New France and country of Louisiana”, of Mgr Henry Marie de Breil de Pontbriant (1709-1860), bishop of Quebec and adviser of Roy, Gilles Hocquart (1694-1783), Intendant of justice, organizes and finances of New France and country of Louisiana (of 1729 to 1748), and of various parents and friends. The part is certified and signed by the clerk Jean-Claude Panet (1719 - 1778) on page 2, lawyer, judge and notary, on page 3 signed by James Murray (1721-1794), sergeant, colonel d' infantry and General governor of the province of Quebec. The other signature under the red seal and below General James Murray on page four is Hector Theophilus Cramahé (1720-1788), all very important people in the early history of Québec.

James Murray was one of General James Wolfe's three brigadiers in the British expedition against Quebec in 1759 and the Governor of Canada from 1760 to 1766. General James Murray In October 1760, became military governor of the district of Quebec and became the first civil governor of the Province of Quebec in 1764. As governor he was sympathetic to the French-Canadians, favouring them over British merchants who came to settle in the wake of the conquest. He allowed the continuance of French civil law because at the time the French outnumbered the British 25:1 and he needed to be careful not to incite discontent or rebellion. The dissatisfaction of British settlers led to his recall in 1766 (although he remained governor in name until 1768), but his precedents were preserved in the Quebec Act of 1774. Wikipedia

Hector Theophilus Cramahé (baptized Théophile-Hector de Cramahé), lieutenant-governor of Quebec (1771-82), army officer, civil secretary to governors James Murray, Guy Carleton, and Frederick Haldimand, judge, lieutenant governor of the province of Quebec, and titular lieutenant governor of Detroit. Cramahé arrived at Quebec in June 1759 and was to remain there more than 22 years, during which he ended the purely military phase of his career. Quoted from DCB online

Jean-Claude Panet, notary, lawyer, and judge was from Paris, France and came to Canada at 20 years of age as a soldier in the colonial regular troops. He arrived on a ship which was struck by an epidemic and many passengers and crew, including Bishop François-Louis de Pourroy de Lauberivière, died. In 1743 his father obtained his discharge and subsequently an appointment as royal notary in the provost court of Quebec in 1744. He was to hold this position for 30 years while also pursuing other endeavours. Panet was active in the legal community of Quebec during the Seven Years' War and evidently was a key figure in the days after the plains of Abraham and the articles of capitulation. Panet was married and had 14 children, a number of whom were to make significant contributions of their own to Canada. Bernard-Claude Panet became archbishop of Quebec. Jean-Antoine Panet became a politician, speaker of the Lower Canada House of Assembly and an important political figure. Another son, Jacques Panet, was a parish priest of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. Three daughters became Ursulines and two had long service with the order. Wikipedia
Near Fine. Item #3625

$2,000.00 USD
$2,726.51 CAD