Scots-Quebecer
Encyclopedia
The Scot-Quebecers are Quebec
ers who are of Scottish
descent.
(1589-1664), who by the year 1800 had 7,765 married descendants among the French-speaking population.
In 1763, the French population of Quebec was approximately 55,000 when France
handed it over to Great Britain
under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763)
that ended the French and Indian War
.
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Quebec population was expanding slowly as immigration began from Great Britain. Impoverished Scottish immigrants, many the victim of the Highland
and Lowland Clearances
, saw unlimited opportunity in this huge forested land. The bond between Scotland and France, however, also extended to numerous other areas such as the Gens d’Armes Ecossais
(Scots Men-At-Arms) who guarded the kings of France for nearly three hundred years. Today in France there are many descendants of these Scots who have lived there for centuries. They carry names such as Campbell
and MacDonald
, the most famous of the latter being Jacques MacDonald, Marshal of France
.
but many with an entrepreneurial drive kept moving west to Montreal
which at the time was little more than a small port town on the St. Lawrence River. By far the majority of the Scots arrived in Quebec with little more than the shirt on their back. John Redpath
, who had only enough money for ships passage to Quebec City, walked all the way to Montreal.
helped establish what would become the North West Company
to compete in the fur trade with the English
owned giant, the Hudson's Bay Company
. Since 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company had been operating an unchallenged monopoly in the territory in the northwest known as Rupert's Land
, which compromised nearly half of what is now Canada. In the process, McTavish became the most important businessman in all of Canada
during the second half of the 18th century.
By the first decade of the 1800s, Montreal had grown to around 9,000 inhabitants and the Scottish immigrants who chose to make Montreal their home soon began to play a key role in the city's cultural, scientific, and business life. Although at their peak, the Scots made up only a small percentage of Quebec's population, they had an impact on the city of Montreal and the Province of Quebec far beyond their numbers. Starting from an almost non-existent economic base, they were instrumental in improving the Province's commercial prospects by exploiting an untapped hinterland. They transformed the small fortified town into the business hub for much of the St Lawrence basin and worked to enhance the Province's economic power. Scots led a wave of immigrants seeking a better life that saw Montreal's population grow from 9,000 in 1800 to 50,000 by the year 1850.
Other Scots were instrumental in building the Lachine Canal
that turned Montreal into one of the most important and prosperous ports in North America
. The canal led to a rapid industrialization that began in the late 1840s with Montreal manufacturers producing products for the entire nation. It was also Scots who constructed Montreal's first bridge across the Saint Lawrence River
and Henry Morgan
built the first department store in Canada that was the envy of the country. Scot settlers founded many of the city's great industries including the Bank of Montreal
, Redpath Sugar
, and from headquarters they established in Montreal, Scots were the driving force that built both of Canada's national railroads
. Early on, they realized the importance for the mercantile community to create the institutions and instruments that enabled business to be the catalyst for improved standards of living for all its citizens. Because of their work and vision, by 1860 they were greatly responsible for making Montreal the most important city in British North America.
Noted for their willingness to help fellow Scots succeed in the new world, they are also remembered for giving back
to the country that had provided them with the opportunity to prosper. Scots established and funded numerous Montreal institutions such as McGill University
, the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
and the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
ers who are of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent.
Background
Few Scots came to Quebec (then New France) before the Seven Years War. Those who did blended in with the French population. Perhaps the first Scot to settle was Abraham Martin dit l'ÉcossaisPlains of Abraham
The Plains of Abraham is a historic area within The Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, that was originally grazing land, but became famous as the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759. Though written into the history books, housing and minor...
(1589-1664), who by the year 1800 had 7,765 married descendants among the French-speaking population.
In 1763, the French population of Quebec was approximately 55,000 when France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
handed it over to Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763)
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
that ended the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Quebec population was expanding slowly as immigration began from Great Britain. Impoverished Scottish immigrants, many the victim of the Highland
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
and Lowland Clearances
Lowland Clearances
The Lowland Clearances in Scotland were one of the results of the British Agricultural Revolution, which changed the traditional system of agriculture which had existed in Lowland Scotland in the seventeenth century...
, saw unlimited opportunity in this huge forested land. The bond between Scotland and France, however, also extended to numerous other areas such as the Gens d’Armes Ecossais
Garde du Corps (France)
The Garde du Corps was the senior formation of the King of France's Household Cavalry within the Maison du Roi.-History:The oldest company in the Garde du Corps was the Company of Scottish Archers, later just the 1st Scottish Company or Garde Écossaise, formed in 1419 from Scots that fought for...
(Scots Men-At-Arms) who guarded the kings of France for nearly three hundred years. Today in France there are many descendants of these Scots who have lived there for centuries. They carry names such as Campbell
Campbell
-Places:In Australia:* Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, AustraliaIn Canada:* Campbell, Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia* Campbell Road, Edmonton, AlbertaIn New Zealand:...
and MacDonald
Macdonald
MacDonald, Macdonald, and McDonald are Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic name MacDhòmhnaill. It is a patronym where Mac means "son" and Dhòmhnaill means "of Dòmhnall". The personal name Dòmhnall is composed of the elements domno "world" and val "might", "rule"...
, the most famous of the latter being Jacques MacDonald, Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
.
Settling
Some of these Scottish immigrants settled in Quebec CityQuebec 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...
but many with an entrepreneurial drive kept moving west 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...
which at the time was little more than a small port town on the St. Lawrence River. By far the majority of the Scots arrived in Quebec with little more than the shirt on their back. John Redpath
John Redpath
John Redpath was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec the largest and most prosperous city in Canada....
, who had only enough money for ships passage to Quebec City, walked all the way to Montreal.
Commerce, Science and Culture
In 1779, Scotsman Simon McTavishSimon McTavish
Simon McTavish was a Scots-Quebecer entrepreneur and the pre-eminent businessman in Canada during the second half of the 18th century.-Biography:...
helped establish what would become the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
to compete in the fur trade with the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
owned giant, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. Since 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company had been operating an unchallenged monopoly in the territory in the northwest known as Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
, which compromised nearly half of what is now Canada. In the process, McTavish became the most important businessman in all of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during the second half of the 18th century.
By the first decade of the 1800s, Montreal had grown to around 9,000 inhabitants and the Scottish immigrants who chose to make Montreal their home soon began to play a key role in the city's cultural, scientific, and business life. Although at their peak, the Scots made up only a small percentage of Quebec's population, they had an impact on the city of Montreal and the Province of Quebec far beyond their numbers. Starting from an almost non-existent economic base, they were instrumental in improving the Province's commercial prospects by exploiting an untapped hinterland. They transformed the small fortified town into the business hub for much of the St Lawrence basin and worked to enhance the Province's economic power. Scots led a wave of immigrants seeking a better life that saw Montreal's population grow from 9,000 in 1800 to 50,000 by the year 1850.
Other Scots were instrumental in building the Lachine Canal
Lachine Canal
The Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine, Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
that turned Montreal into one of the most important and prosperous ports in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The canal led to a rapid industrialization that began in the late 1840s with Montreal manufacturers producing products for the entire nation. It was also Scots who constructed Montreal's first bridge across the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan (merchant)
Henry Morgan was a Scots-Quebecer department store pioneer in Canada who founded Henry Morgan & Company....
built the first department store in Canada that was the envy of the country. Scot settlers founded many of the city's great industries including the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
, Redpath Sugar
Redpath Sugar
Redpath Sugar was an important company in the economic history of Canada.-History:Redpath Sugar was established as the Canada Sugar Refining Company in 1854 in Montreal, Quebec by Scots-Quebecer entrepreneur, John Redpath . Located on the bank of the Lachine Canal, the giant complex was the first...
, and from headquarters they established in Montreal, Scots were the driving force that built both of Canada's national railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
. Early on, they realized the importance for the mercantile community to create the institutions and instruments that enabled business to be the catalyst for improved standards of living for all its citizens. Because of their work and vision, by 1860 they were greatly responsible for making Montreal the most important city in British North America.
Noted for their willingness to help fellow Scots succeed in the new world, they are also remembered for giving back
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
to the country that had provided them with the opportunity to prosper. Scots established and funded numerous Montreal institutions such as McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
-External links:*, managed by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec.*, virtual exhibit on the history of Canadian learned societies.*, virtual library containing all publications from 1824-1924....
and the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Notable Scots-Quebecers
A few of these Scots and their offspring who were major factors in building Montreal and the Province of Quebec into the economic hub of Canada are:- Hugh AllanHugh AllanSir Hugh Allan, KCMG was a Scottish-born Canadian shipping magnate, railway promoter, financier and capitalist...
(1810–1882), financier and shipping magnate - Montagu H. Allan (1860–1951), banker, ship owner, sportsman
- Richard Bladworth Angus (1831–1922), banker
- Robert Mitchell Ballantyne (1859–1929), businessman
- Aeneas Cameron (1757–1822), fur trader
- Thomas Neill CreamThomas Neill CreamDr. Thomas Neill Cream , also known as the Lambeth Poisoner, was a Scottish-born serial killer, who claimed his first proven victims in the United States and the rest in England, and possibly others in Canada and Scotland...
(1850–1892), serial killer - John William DawsonJohn William DawsonSir John William Dawson, CMG, FRS, FRSC , was a Canadian geologist and university administrator.- Life and work :...
(1820–1899), scientist, educator - Richard DobieRichard DobieRichard Dobie was a merchant from Scotland who came to Canada about 1760 and by 1764 was actively involved in the fur trade around Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes...
(1731–1805), fur trader, businessman - William DowWilliam DowWilliam Dow emigrated to Canada from Scotland in about 1818. A trained brewer, he took employment with James Dunn's brewery in Montreal and quickly became a partner. His younger brother, Andrew, who had also trained as a brewer, joined him, and on the death of Dunn, the company became known as...
(1800–1868), brewer and businessman - George Alexander DrummondGeorge Alexander DrummondSir George Alexander Drummond, KCMG, CVO was a Scottish-Canadian businessman and senator.Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he arrived in Canada in 1854 to work at Redpath Sugar. He married John Redpath's daughter, becoming a co-director of the family business with Peter Redpath, John's son...
(1829–1910), entrepreneur - James Dunlop (1757–1815), businessman
- Robert Ellice (1747–1790), merchant and fur trader
- Duncan Fisher (1753–1820), businessman
- Hugh GrahamHugh Graham, 1st Baron AtholstanHugh Graham, 1st Baron Atholstan , was a Canadian newspaper publisher.-Biography:Born in Athelstan , Huntingdon County, Quebec, Graham was the son of Robert Walker Graham, a Scottish land owner, and his wife, Marion, daughter of Colonel Thomas McLeay Gardner.He was educated at the Huntingdon...
(1848–1938), newspaper publisher - Peter Grant (1764–1848), fur trader
- William Grant (1744–1805), merchant, politician
- Alexander Henderson (1831–1913), merchant and photographer
- James D. Johnson (1949) businessman
- William C. Macdonald (1831–1917), tobacco manufacturer, philanthropist
- Dugald Lorn MacDougall (1811–1885), stockbroker, investor
- Hugh Mackay (1832–1890), businessman
- Robert MackayRobert MackayRobert Mackay was a Canadian businessman and statesman.An 1855 emigrant to Montreal, Canada from his birthplace in Caithness, Scotland, Robert Mackay got his start working at the Henry Morgan & Company department store. He then went to work for Mackay Brothers wholesalers, owned by his uncles...
(1840–1916), businessman, statesman - Roderick Mackenzie (1761–1844), fur trader, politician
- James McGillJames McGillJames McGill was a Scottish-Canadian businessman, military commander and philanthropist known for being the founder of McGill University...
(1744–1813), fur trader, merchant, politician - Peter McGillPeter McGillPeter McGill was a Scots-Quebecer businessman who served as the second mayor of Montreal, Canada East from 1840 to 1842.- Biography :...
(1789–1860), businessman, politician - William McGillivrayWilliam McGillivrayWilliam McGillivray was a Scotland-born fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Dunlichity, Scotland in 1764. In 1784, he travelled to Montreal with his uncle Simon McTavish and began work with the North West Company...
(1764–1825), fur trader - Duncan McIntyre (1834–1894), businessman
- Simon McTavishSimon McTavishSimon McTavish was a Scots-Quebecer entrepreneur and the pre-eminent businessman in Canada during the second half of the 18th century.-Biography:...
(1750–1804), fur trader, saw mill and flour mill operator - Henry MorganHenry Morgan (merchant)Henry Morgan was a Scots-Quebecer department store pioneer in Canada who founded Henry Morgan & Company....
(1819–1893), built the first department store in Canada - John NeilsonJohn NeilsonJohn Neilson was a Scots-Quebecer editor of the newspaper La Gazette de Québec/The Quebec Gazette and a politician.- Biography :...
(1776–1848), printer, publisher, politician - Alexander Walker OgilvieAlexander Walker OgilvieAlexander Walker Ogilvie was a Canadian politician.Born in Côte-Saint-Michel, Lower Canada which is on the island of Montreal, the son of Alexander Ogilvie and Helen Watson, he owned a mill named A.W. Ogilvie & Company.In 1867, he was acclaimed to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the riding...
(1829–1902), miller, statesman - William Watson Ogilvie (1835–1900), businessman
- Andrew Paton (1833–1892), textile manufacturer, politician
- John RedpathJohn RedpathJohn Redpath was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec the largest and most prosperous city in Canada....
(1796–1869), contractor, industrialist - Peter RedpathPeter RedpathPeter Redpath was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist, closely associated with Redpath Sugar.-Biography:...
(1821–1894), businessman - James Gibb RossJames Gibb RossJames Gibb Ross was a Canadian merchant and politician from the province of Quebec.Born in Carluke, a village of South Lanarkshire, Scotland, Ross emigrated to Canada in 1832 with his brother, John Ross, settling in Quebec City...
(1819–1888), merchant, statesman - James Ross (1848–1913), railway engineer, businessman
- Philip Simpson Ross (1827–1907), founder of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec
- George SimpsonGeorge Simpson (administrator)Sir George Simpson was a Scots-Quebecer and employee of the Hudson's Bay Company . His title was Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land and administrator over the Northwest Territories and Columbia Department in British North America from 1821 to 1860.-Early years:George Simpson was born in Dingwall,...
(1787–1860), executive, fur trader - Donald Alexander Smith (1820–1914), fur trader, financier, railroad baron and politician.
- George StephenGeorge Stephen, 1st Baron Mount StephenGeorge Stephen, 1st Baron of Mount Stephen , known as Sir Stephen, between 1778 and 1891.-Canadian Pacific Railway syndicate:...
(1829–1921), banker and railway executive - Daniel SutherlandDaniel SutherlandDaniel Alexander Sutherland , nicknamed "Fighting Dan", was an American businessperson and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives during the 1920s as the delegate from what was then the Alaska Territory.Sutherland was born in Pleasant Bay, Canada on Cape Breton Island...
(1756–1832), businessman - David Torrance (1805–1876), merchant, banker
- John Torrance (1786–1870), merchant, shipper
- William Watson (c.1795-1867), miller, businessman, politician
- John Young (1811–1878), entrepreneur, statesman
See also
- Scottish-Canadian
- Scottish AmericanScottish AmericanScottish Americans or Scots Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scots-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots, and communities emphasize and celebrate a common heritage...
- Celtic music in CanadaCeltic music in CanadaCeltic music is primarily associated with the folk traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and Wales, as well as the popular styles derived from folk culture...
- QuébécoisQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
- Anglo-Quebecer
- Irish QuebecersIrish QuebecersIrish Quebecers are residents of the Canadian province of Quebec who have Irish ancestry. In 2006, there were 406,085 Quebecers who identified themselves as having partial or exclusive Irish descent in Quebec, representing 5.5% of the population...
- List of Irish Quebecers