Bartholomew Gugy
Encyclopedia
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
and Political figure in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
who played a prominent military role in the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
.
Early life
He was born at Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières, Quebec
Trois-Rivières is a city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada, located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence Rivers. It is situated in the Mauricie administrative region, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of Bécancour...
in 1796, the son of Lt.-Col. The Hon. Louis Gugy
Louis Gugy
Lt.-Colonel The Hon. Jean-Georges-Barthélemy-Guillaume-Louis Gugy was the Sheriff of Montreal and a seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada, the nephew and heir of Conrad Gugy.-Early life:...
and Juliana O'Connor. As a Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
, and the son of a Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the Swiss Guard
Swiss Guard
Swiss Guards or Schweizergarde is the name given to the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. They have had a high reputation for discipline, as well as loyalty to their employers...
who served with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
too, he was admitted to the elitist school of the Reverend John Strachan
John Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
in Cornwall
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. He was a first cousin of Samuel Cornwallis Monck, of Montreal.
On the outbreak of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Gugy joined the Canadian Fencibles
Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry
Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry was a short lived regiment in Canada during the early 19th century.The regiment was originally raised in Scotland but a rumour circulated that the regiment would be moved to the British colonies in the West Indies. The West Indies at the time were hot,...
, becoming a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He fought alongside his father and distinguished himself at the Battle of the Chateauguay. Afterwards, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1822. He quickly established a numerous and lucrative clientele for himself, but he was better known for his role in politics and the military. In 1831, Gugy was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
for Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke (electoral district)
Sherbrooke is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925.-Geography:This riding in the south of the province is located in the Quebec region of Estrie...
, voting against the Ninety-Two Resolutions
Ninety-Two Resolutions
The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the Parti patriote of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony....
. He was re-elected up until the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
of 1837. As one of the few Tories who spoke French, he readily engaged in verbal bouts with Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
. Gugy fought with "supple oratory, using irony, banter, sarcasm, and insolence," exasperating his opponent.
Lower Canadian Rebellion, 1837-38
In 1837, when the Rebellion of Lower CanadaLower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
was imminent, Gugy immediately volunteered with the Militia. Given the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
he led the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
at the Battle of Saint-Charles
Battle of Saint-Charles
The Battle of Saint-Charles was fought on November 25, 1837 between Great Britain and Lower Canada rebels. The British were victorious.On the morning of 25 November 1837, 2 days after Charles Gore's defeat at the Battle of Saint-Denis and the retreat to Sorel the troops of Colonel George Wetherall...
, and it is suggested that he personally seized the Column of Liberty
Colonne de la liberté (Quebec)
The Colonne de la liberté was a symbol of the Patriote movement erected in Saint-Charles, Lower Canada on October 23, 1937. Its name is identical to the column that marked the history of the French Revolution...
before carrying it in triumph to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with two subalterns.
At the Battle of Saint-Eustache
Battle of Saint-Eustache
The Battle of Saint-Eustache, fought on December 14, 1837, was a decisive battle in the Lower Canada Rebellion in which British forces defeated the principal remaining Patriotes camp at Saint-Eustache.-Prelude:...
he again distinguished himself by his enthusiasm. Following the battle, the French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
rebels falsely accused him of cruelty, and even of walking knee deep in the blood of the rebels, when in fact he had just brought his horse to water at the stoups of the church. Later, having billetted his troops at Saint-Hyacinthe
Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Saint-Hyacinthe is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 55,823. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River which flows...
, Gugy stayed at the house of Jean Dessaulles
Jean Dessaulles
Jean Dessaulles was a seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Saint-François-du-Lac in 1766 and studied at the Collège Saint-Raphaël. He worked as a seigneurial agent for his aunt, who was managing the seigneury of Saint-Hyacinthe...
, where the children of his enemy Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
had taken refuge. Gugy gave a wax doll to Ezilda Papineau and two picture books to Gustave Papineau.
Subsequent career
Following the RebellionLower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
, Gugy held the position of Police Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and then from 1841 to 1846, he was appointed Adjutant-General to the Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
of Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
. As Adjutant-General, the party of Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine frequently targetted him for not placing enough French Canadians in the higher ranks of the militia.
After the Union of 1841, Gugy failed to win the parliamentary seat for Saint-Maurice
Saint-Maurice (provincial electoral district)
Saint-Maurice is a provincial electoral district located in the province of Quebec, Canada. Situated in the Mauricie region, the riding was created in 1792...
when the supporters of his opponent, Joseph-Édouard Turcotte
Joseph-Édouard Turcotte
Joseph-Édouard Turcotte was a lawyer and political figure in Canada East.He was born in Gentilly, Lower Canada in 1808. He studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet. In 1831, he lost his right arm in an accident. Deciding not to pursue a future in the priesthood, he studied law with Elzéar Bédard and...
, seized the polling booth. He had also been a candidate for his old seat in Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke (electoral district)
Sherbrooke is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925.-Geography:This riding in the south of the province is located in the Quebec region of Estrie...
but was defeated by Edward Hale. In 1848, he was was returned to Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke (electoral district)
Sherbrooke is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925.-Geography:This riding in the south of the province is located in the Quebec region of Estrie...
by acclamation.
In the house, Gugy voted regularly against the ministry of Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, and during the famous debate on the Rebellion Losses Bill
Rebellion Losses Bill
The Rebellion Losses Bill was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1849...
, Gugy, with Sir Allan Napier MacNab, was the principal leader of the opposition. In 1849, his speeches fuelled the tension that finally exploded with the Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal
Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal
The burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal occurred on the night of April 25, 1849. Inaugurated on June 24, 1845, St. Anne's Market building lodging the Parliament of the Province of Canada was burned down by rioters while the members of the Legislative Assembly were sitting in session.-...
and the subsequent riots. Gugy reacted with his customary spirit on the night of the burning, seizing several of the agitators to stop them from setting upon the Speaker, Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin was a lawyer, judgeBorn in Saint-Michel, Lower Canada, into a large Roman Catholic farming family, Morin was identified by the parish priest at a young age as a boy of exceptional talent and intelligence. The parish priest therefore arranged for his education at the...
. The next day, 26 April, Gugy climbed a lamp-post on the Champ de Mars
Champ de Mars, Montreal
Champ de Mars is a public park in Old Montreal quarter of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Formerly a military parade ground, the park had previously been the site of Montreal's fortifications, which were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century soon after Montreal City Hall and the old courthouse...
and for two hours harangued the crowd that had gathered to launch an attack on the homes Sir Francis Hincks
Francis Hincks
Sir Francis Hincks, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Cork, Ireland, he was the son of Thomas Dix Hincks an orientalist, naturalist and Presbyterian minister and the brother of Edward Hincks orientalist, naturalist and clergyman.He moved to York in 1832 and set up an importing business...
, Benjamin Holmes and his old enemy Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, trying in vain to persuade them to disperse.
Retirement
After 1850, through fear of the annexationists, Gugy gradually drew away from the Montreal Tories, and did not run for election in 1851. Colonel Gugy was nevertheless appointed one of the Canadian representatives to the The Great ExhibitionThe Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1853, he received another civil post as Inspector and Superintendent of Police at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, but resigned the same year to retire to the estate at Beauport that he had inherited in 1840 from his father, together with the Seigneuries of Yamachiche
Yamachiche, Quebec
Yamachiche is a municipality in the Mauricie region of the province of Quebec in Canada.-Etymology:The name Yamachiche was first used to identify the Little Yamachiche River which runs through the town. It came from the Native American words iyamitaw and achichki...
, Rivière-du-Loup
Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Rivière-du-Loup is a county regional municipality of Quebec in Canada. Its most important city is Rivière-du-Loup, which contains more than half of the population of the region....
, Grandpré, Grosbois, and Dumontier. After a stinging defeat in 1854 at the hands of another Tory, James Moir Ferres
James Moir Ferres
James Moir Ferres was a journalist and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1813 and studied at Marischal College in Aberdeen. Ferres came to Montreal in 1833 and taught at Edward Black's school there. He then became director of the academy at Frelighsburg in the...
, in Missisquoi-Est, he retired from politics for good. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography said of his character:
Hot-headed, irascible, endowed with a colourful nature; the bulky, loud-voiced colonel was not vindictive, or intolerant, or sectarian. As a seigneur
Seigneur
Seigneur may refer to:* The possessor of a seigneurie in medieval feudal or manorial systems.* The Seigneurial system of New France* The hereditary feudal ruler of the island of Sark, see also List of Seigneurs of Sark...
, he collected his rents with regularity, but never resorted to vexatious measures... Towards, the end of his life Gugy often returned to Quebec
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, riding erect on horseback despite his 78 years, to ensconce himself in the library of the Palais de Justice and regale the young of all ages with the details of his former litigations and addresses to the court. He does not seem to have had a fanatical temperament. If he was never popular among French Canadians, it is because he too often upheld principles which they rejected
Family
Gugy was married twice, leaving children by his frist wife only. In 1828, he married Louise-Sophie (d.1842), the only daughter to reach adulthood of Antoine-Louis Juchereau DuchesnayAntoine-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay
Antoine-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay was a seigneur, soldier and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born at Quebec City in 1765, the son of Antoine Juchereau Duchesnay, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. He served as lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Regiment from 1798 to 1802...
, Seigneur
Seigneur
Seigneur may refer to:* The possessor of a seigneurie in medieval feudal or manorial systems.* The Seigneurial system of New France* The hereditary feudal ruler of the island of Sark, see also List of Seigneurs of Sark...
de Beauport
Beauport, Quebec
Beauport is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River.Beauport is a northeastern suburb of Quebec City. Manufactures include paint, construction materials, printers, and hospital supplies. Food transportation is important to the economy...
, and Marie-Louise Fleury de La Gorgendière (1775-1832). Their daughter, Bertha-Louise Gugy (1829-1855), married William Edward Holmes (1822-1861), a young Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
barrister; grandson of William Holmes (Surgeon-General) and brother-in-law of Chief Justice Sir William Collis Meredith
William Collis Meredith
The Hon. Sir William Collis Meredith, Kt., Q.C., D.C.L. was Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec.-Early life:...
. In 1869, Gugy married secondly Mary McGrath (b.1824), the daughter of a Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
doctor who moved to Beauport
Beauport, Quebec
Beauport is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River.Beauport is a northeastern suburb of Quebec City. Manufactures include paint, construction materials, printers, and hospital supplies. Food transportation is important to the economy...
. Bartholomew Gugy died at his family's seigneurial manor at Beauport, Quebec City in 1876.