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Louisbourg Archaeology Program 2010 Project Specific Site History |
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De la Valliere Property (Town Block 16D) Click here for site plan Jacques de Pensens (Military Officer) 1720-36 Domestic occupation *click here for detailed synopsis (link to the Louisbourg Institute website) 1713-20: Lot D was unoccupied during this period 1720-22: In 1720, Lot D measuring 90 pieds (1 pied = 1.066 feet) along rue Toulouse and 126 pieds along rue Royalle, was conceded to Jacques de Pensens. By 1722 de Pensens had built a charpentre house measuring 23 pieds by 42 pieds along rue Toulouse and an adjoining stone storehouse measuring 23 pieds by 60 pieds along rue Royalle. This storehouse contained a cave or cellar with a soute or specialized storeroom. 1722-27: Jacques de Pensens may have occupied the property during this period but his official duties required him to be absent from Louisbourg much of the time. Between 1724 and 1727 he erected another stone storehouse on the northeast corner of his property. This storehouse also had a full cellar and was 23 pieds wide along rue Royalle by 42 pieds long. In 1725 the property was leased to the governor, St. Ovide de Brouillon, while de Pensens was posted to Ile St. Jean. 1727-36: The length of the St. Ovide lease is not known nor are the names of any other tenants who subsequently leased the lot. It was under lease to St. Ovide, however, in 1736 when it was sold to Michel LeNeuf de la Valliere. Prior to this, an agreement had been made between de Pensens and Charles D’ailleboust who, by 1731, had constructed a house on Lot C, adjacent to the [second] storehouse. This new house used the east wall of the storehouse as its west wall and D’ailleboust agreed to make any necessary repairs to the east wall of the storehouse. This obligation remained in effect after the [store]house was sold to de la Valliere. 1736-45: Although Michel LeNeuf de la Valliere died in 1740, the house was occupied by his family throughout this period and nothing is known of any changes which might have been made to the property. 1745-49: Once the New England forces occupied Louisbourg, two major changes occurred in the status of Lot D. The first of these was the construction of a frame house for the master carpenter, along with offices for the storekeeper and a clerk. The second was the construction of a workshop for the carpenters, glaziers and painters. This two-storied workshop, erected to the rear of the second storehouse, was located at the northeast corner of the property, while the master carpenter’s house was constructed in the space between that storehouse and the storehouse located at the northwest corner of the property. 1749-58: Upon the return of the French to Ile Royalle in 1749, the heirs of Michel LeNeuf de la Valliere re-occupied Lot D, where they remained until 1758. 1758-68: All the buildings on Lot D seemed to have been occupied by the British after the 1758 siege, although the master carpenter’s house was demolished or removed at some earlier date. This may have occurred at any time after 1749 and before 1767 when Ensign Sproule drew his plan of Louisbourg. By 1768 the original house was described as being in “bad” condition by Samuel Holland, meaning that most of the flooring and partitions had been removed for fuel. The stone storehouse and work shops were described as being in “tolerable” condition, meaning much out of repair. 1768-Present: Nothing is know about the property during this period and it is assumed that the buildings had been either dismantled or demolished prior to the arrival of the Loyalists in 1784. Archaeological Investigations: 1959 [testing], 1967 and 1974. Archaeological Synopsis: 1713-21: Although Lot D was conceded in 1720, there was some activity probably occurring on the property before that date. Historic documentation suggests that the powder magazine of the early garrison was located near the southeast corner of the property. However, traces of this structure have not been identified by archaeological excavations because much of the yard has yet to be excavated. One feature from this early period that was uncovered through archaeological excavation was a subterranean drain that lay diagonally across the property from southwest to northeast. This drain was not entirely excavated, but sections of it had been uncovered on Lot E, Block 16 and in the parade square along with a segment of the foundation of the early governor’s quarters. There was no evidence of the northern terminus of this drain, and in all probability it was destroyed during construction of the master carpenter’s house in the 1740s. Aside from this drain, little else has been identified relating to this early period and it has been assumed that material accumulated on the property at a slow rate. In 1720 the property was ceded to Jacques de Pensens. 1721-22: Almost immediately after assuming control of Lot D, Jacques de Pensens began construction of a charpentre (timber-framed) house and a stone storehouse on the corner of rue Toulouse and rue Royalle at the northwest corner of Lot D. Since limited archaeological data is available concerning these buildings, only generalized statements can be made about their construction. The charpentre house consisted of the four foundation walls and the bases for two-double fireplaces. There were doorways in the east and west walls, the first allowing access to the cobble paved area (pavé) in the rear of the house and the second to rue Toulouse. The stoop of this second doorway was flanked by two pieces of red sandstone. There was some evidence of a wooden floor in the house and interior partitioning. The stratigraphic arrangement of the archaeological contexts within this area is not known. The stone storehouse to the north of the house consisted of four stone walls with an opening in the west wall onto rue Toulouse. The floor of this building had been paved with cobbles and a channel drain had been laid down the centre of the building. This drain began at the doorway of the building in the west wall and ran the length of the building curving at the northeast corner where the water was channelled into a drain crossing rue Royalle. 1722-24: The pavé to the rear or east of the house was laid at the time the house was constructed in 1722. This conclusion is drawn because the pavé continues through the doorway in the eastern wall of the house and into the interior of the house. It is quite possible that the pavé along the rue Royalle side of the property was also laid at this time. It was put in place after the construction of the first storehouse, but exactly when is not known. 1724-27: Between 1724 and 1727 de Pensens completed construction of a second storehouse. Although smaller, this storehouse was quite similar to the first storehouse. It, too, had a cobble floor with a drain down its centre running out into the rue Royalle complex of sub-surface drains. At sometime during this period (1724-27) or perhaps earlier, de Pensens built fences around his property. De Pensens may also have dug a pit (latrine) along the south side of the first storehouse, however this pit feature may have been created during the New England occupation [1745-49]. Rue Toulouse was also upgraded during 1724-27. This street was a main thoroughfare from the King’s Bastion to the waterfront and was well maintained. 1727-45: The archaeological record does not reveal much about this period, although the property fences were erected at this time. 1745-49: Several additions were made to Lot D during the New England occupation of the town. A house and offices for the master carpenter were added to the street front on rue Royalle and a craftsmen’s workshop was erected to the south of the second storehouse. Evidence of both of these buildings was uncovered. The stone footing of the master carpenter’s house was exposed and revealed to be the same width as the storehouse it abutted to the west. Two stone bases, presumably supports for two fireplace systems, were found in the house. The workshop consisted of a shallow stone foundation, the remnants of a few wooden joists, and a triangular-paved area in the northeast corner of the building. Interpretation of the triangular-paved feature is uncertain, it may have been the location of a small forge or perhaps a lead-casting area for glaziers. Although the workshop was poorly preserved, trash was found around the building and it has been assumed that access to the building was gained through the yard of Lot D. 1749-68: The archaeological record provided limited evidence of changes to the property after the departure of the New Englanders. At sometime during this period the master carpenter’s house was dismantled or demolished but the exact date of this event is uncertain. 1768-84: When Samuel Holland drew his map of Louisbourg in 1768, the early de Pensens house, storehouses, and the New Englanders workshop were still standing although listed as being in poor condition. Since Holland did not attach names to these structures, it is quite possible that they were vacant at the time and probably destroyed shortly thereafter. Occupation of this property ended with the arrival of the Loyalists in 1784. 1784-1977: After the property was abandoned, the terrain lay undisturbed (save for accummulation of debris) until archaeological excavations were first conducted in 1959. These excavations continued off and on until 1977. The de Pensens house, storehouses and fences were reconstructed in 1977-78. De la Valliere site plan showing archaeologically-excavated buildings, drains and fences:
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