,.-; ct-^'ff^-
(Pamphlet Collection)
J^
rcn
Q
z^^;^'
M»-.^0*A\tay
-TORONTO, .s •••.:■:-:-.• -Tr-
UBRARY *: •- '•"
I
i
• » '
» ♦
'I
•
•
111
Xtoronic
*
• ». 1
' '. ? !
T
.«♦
'«..;, < . ,V i^-- V"»- •^^
'jj^
Historical Sketch
oj l)Oisl)riaiit.
si
w
X
Historical Sketch
of 'Boisbriant."
I lie ()rii;iiial title was of date
Kjtli January, 1672, ])>■ the
creation, 1)\- M. Dollier de
Casson, »Superior of the Sem-
inary, vSeij^neur of the island of
Montreal, of w fief noble, con-
sistinjj; of two hundred arpeiits
of land, situated at the head of
the island on the borders of the
lake of Two Mountains, called
• " Hoisbriant." It was j^rant-
ed on that date to vSidrac du
CUic, vSieur de Hoisbriant,
captain in the Cari.t,nian Reg-
iment. In consideration of his
zeal, and of his havint,^ already constructed
a house at the head of [the island, M. Dol-
lier de Casson added to this //>/' all the
islands and reefs in front of it. Du (lue
sold the j)roperty. on the 2<)th June, i^'j'j,
to the famous Charles Le Mo>ne de Lon-
i;iieuil and to Jaccpies Le Her, his brother-
in-law, a merchant prince of those days.
At this time there were only seven or eii;ht
arpents of land in cultivation, with a house
built of scjuared timber, one stor\- in height.
with a garret and a "' i)ii</ia}it(" (jioor)
cliimiifv of carlli, tlie rest of the land l)ein<;
in thick foivst. On the 13th Decenihcr,
1 68^^, Lf Her and Le Moyne divided the
various properties which they heUl in coni-
lOKl SICNNKVII.I.K
nion. Le Her takinj; Hoishriant, which he
thereafter called " vSenneville," after his
family seat near La Rochelle, in old h'rance.
In if)S,S, by sjiecial permission, Le Her
erected a stone windmill, in the form of a
tower loopholed for musketry, with " uuiir-
iri(r(s" o\er the doors, as a jjrotection
mt
* •
^k
/.^:
. "*ri If 'V'^T'l^
• I-
k**
J
x^ ■
1
1
■J
"^"^3^J'
J
p.
-^ «,
•
■-'
- ■•'«■.„
>' ■■
#_
':■• ^e.'- ■ . •
%.
against the Iiulians, tliere liavint; l)eLMi an
attack on his honse in the previons year,
16S7. In 1 69 1, tlie Irotiuois succeeded in
burning the mill, altera jj^allant defence hy
Le Her's people, including the fanner's
wife, who defended a breach in the wall
against three hundred Irocpiois. losing only
two of their own number. In 1^193, the
stone mill is mentioned in an inventory of
the community of ])roperty between Jacques
Le Ik-r and his deceased wife, and is de-
scribed as threatening ruin on account of
having been l)urnt "by our enemies, the
Irocjuois." The tower must have been
repaired, as it is still standing on the hill
overlooking the lake and the long stretches
of the Ottawa. This inx'entory also men-
tions that at that time (December, 1693) it
was imjKxssible to proceed from Montreal to
the property, on account of the war which
was raging with the Indians. At this time,
there were thirty
arpents of the ficf
under cultivation,
and a stone chim-
ney had been added
to the house. It
was shortly after
this date that the
Till-; I-AKK WALK.
fortified chateau known as " I-'ort Sennt.'-
ville " was built !)>• Jac(|ues Lc Her's
son. known as Le vSieur ck- Sennevilk-.
IIIK AVKNl'l-;
The exact date of the erection is unknown.
It consisted of a stone liouse two stories in
heij^ht, fronting upon a sheltered hay of
the lake, and l)uilt just above hi.^;h water
mark. In rear of the house, the walls
were extended so as to form a large
oi^en courtyard, rectangular in shape, and
loopholed for musketry : the whole struc-
ture being protected by square flanking
tower!" at eacii corner, which commanded
the walls and all ai)])roaclics to the fort,
both from the water and the land. Here a
large trade was carried on with the friendl\
Indians, frecjuentlv interrupted by fightinsj;
with the hostile Iro(|nois, who seem to
ha\e, at least on one occasion, succeeded
in settinj.,^ fire to the building. An attack
by the Mohank tribe, on the ui)])er v'ld of
the island of Montreal, near the fort, is
recorded as having taken place on the 21st
June, 1747: in conse(pience, garrisons of
soldiers and militia were kejit there in 1747
and I74>1. The fort was finally dismantled
1)>- a detachment of American troops de-
si)atched for this i)urpose, on the march
upon Montreal, in 1775. The jiroperty, in
its original extei;t of two hundred ar])ents,
finally in 1S65 came into the possession of
the late Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott,
THE I.AWN.
afterwards Piiine Minister of Canada, and
is still in the possession of his family, with
the exception of the back portion of the
projierty, which has been sold since his
death. He bnilt the jiresent manor honse,
and restored to the fuf its ancient name of
" Boisbriant." The ruins of the old fort,
carefully preserved and covered with vines
and creepers, form an interestin.i;- and pic-
tures([ue feature in the landscape.
On the si)()t where the fort was afterwards
built, the intrepid Dollard des Ormeaux
and his devoted little band would most
probably have rested to recruit after their
week's struj^gle with the rapids of vSte.
Anne, two miles below, since rendered
famous by Thomas Moore, in his Canadian
boat-sonj^. Certain it is they passed by
here, late in April, 1660, on iheir way to
certain death at the foot of the Long Sault,
Canada's Thermopyhe, where, for ten long
days, they fought that Homeric fight
against the combined forces of the Iroquois,
as told in the Relations des Jesuites, and b}'
the facile jien of Parkman ; and thus, by
the sacrifice of their lives, saved their
country from invasion.
Amid these old ruins, the poet Moore
must have often lingered and, ga/ing on
" Ottawa's tide,'' may have been inspired
to write his famous song.
- ." -' .
K
JL' ■ ■ ■
\
I.
^D^<
\ , ■.
t
hI
ii^
^HT/.
\ •«*
•■.
^'\jk
1
1
j^B^H^VuS^MflW^'**^'*''*^*''!'
1
^1
H
^^^^^^^
^^^H
^HP^^'*
1
V^^^H
^^H
Hj^tenfeK^tf/Hr^*
5
.../:^JP
BR
ffi
pv -^^ JMhmhh^^^H
. . ■■■■■'
w^^
ignnilii
WtM
»T fiJB
m
HH^^^S
^Kj^?^
4
^wppi
Mi
W
^^^' \^ ■
^
gg|
THK I.OVVKR I. AWN.
X
n
7!
II
HK manor liouse and domain
of " Boishriaiit" art situated
on the lake of Two Moun-
tains, at the western end of
the island of Montreal, and
are about two miles distant
from the villaj^e of Sainte-
Anne-de-Hellevne, where are
stations of the Canadian Pa-
cific and C.rand Trunk rail-
ways. The distance from
Montreal is twenty-one
^i. miles, and there is a conve-
nient service of trains. The
train from Montreal to New
York z'/ii the Adirondacks .stops liere.
The manor house is built of stone, in the
Ivnglisli cottai^^e ornee .style, and contains
the usual accommodation of a j;(>.)d country-
house. The interior decoration is simi)le,
but in \-er\- <;()o(l taste, and electric lij^ht is
installed.
The ofllces, .stables, barns and forcinj;
houses are amj)ly suitable to the re{|uire-
ments of the establishment.
The j.;arden and larj^e i)leasure };roun(ls
ol about seventeen acres, includinj; a s.;rass
tennis court, are extremely beautiful and
are in jierfect order, and stocked with the
r 2
choicest flowers and shrubs. The hirge
orchard and the vinery, hothouses and
kitchen garden are in perfect order.
Attached to the house and grounds are
a])out forty- five acres of pasture and aral)le
land, quite suflicient for the needs of a small
herd of fancy cattle stock or well-bred
horses. The orchard, of full-bearing trees,
contains about ten acres.
There is, just opposite to the house, a
good anchorage for yachts drawing six feet,
and the lake of Two Mountains, besides
large .sailing ground, affords good sport in
fishing and shooting. There are .several
fine country houses in the neighborhood.
" Boi.sbriant" is in effect a very remark-
able and unusually attractive property, and
pos.ses.ses al.so much historic interest from
the time of its first French .seigneurs down
to the present day, when it was the home of
the late vSir John Abbott, who died in 1893,
Prime Minister of Canada. The romance
of " Boi.sbriant " is .set forth in the accom-
panying historical sketch.
The manor house grounds and orchard
are now for sale, preferably with the farm of
about forty- five acres attached, and any
further information that may be desired
will be readily supplied by
J. Tkv-Davik.s,
Real Ivstate Aj,'eiit,
IMONTRKAI,
<''■' H^^^^•