Cuthbert Grant
Encyclopedia
Cuthbert Grant was a prominent Métis
leader of the early nineteenth century.
father and Métis mother. He was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblant, a North West Company
trading post located near the present-day town of Togo, Saskatchewan
, where his father was a manager. In 1801 at the age of eight, he was sent to Scotland
to be educated. It is not known exactly when he returned to the West, but in 1812, he entered the service of the North West Company at the age of 19. He then travelled with the spring brigade to Pays d'en haut, the "high country" of the Northwest.
He was recognized as a leader of the Métis people, and became involved in the bitter struggle between the Nor'westers
and the Hudson's Bay Company
stemming from the Pemmican Proclamation, which forbade anyone from exporting pemmican
from the Red River Colony
. The capture and destruction of the North West Company's Fort Gibraltar
in 1816, caused further anger at the HBC from the Nor'westers and the local Métis. This led to the bloody encounter known as the Battle of Seven Oaks
, where Robert Semple
and 21 colonists from the Red River Colony were slain.
Despite this, when the two rival companies merged in 1821 under the name the Hudson's Bay Company, the new governor, Sir George Simpson
, requested Grant to head a Métis settlement of some 2,000 people situated some 16 miles west of the Red River settlement on the Assiniboine River
. The settlement was to be known as Grantown for many years, but in more recent times was renamed St. Francois Xavier
after the patron saint of the town.
By 1825 wheat was becoming an important food crop and although there were several windmill
s in operation in the area, Cuthbert Grant was the first to undertake the construction of a watermill
. His mill was completed on Sturgeon Creek
in 1829. While the exact location is not known, it is probable that it was close to where the Portage Trail crossed the creek; and it is altogether likely that the dam
was used as a bridge for crossing the creek during the season of high water. Unfortunately the dam proved unequal to the spring floods and for three successive years it was washed out. Grant finally abandoned the site and moved his machinery to Grantown where he constructed a successful windmill.
In 1828, the Hudson's Bay Company placed him in charge of the defence of the Red River Settlement. He later became a sheriff
and magistrate
in the District of Assiniboia.
On July 15, 1854, Cuthbert died from injuries sustained after falling from his horse.
and the Cuthbert Grant rose, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, are named in his honour.
His first wife was Elizabeth "Bethsy" McKay, the sister of John Richards McKay and daughter of John McKay and Mary Favell. Grant and Bethsy courted through correspondence; the pair were married on May 22, 1814, at Fort Gibraltar. Their marriage produced one son, James (b. circa 1815). However, while Cuthbert was on trial for his part in Seven Oaks, both Bethsy and their son James disappeared. Their fate was, and remains to be unknown.
In 1820, Cuthbert was involved in a mariage du pays
with Marie Desmaris. From this union, a daughter, Maria was born (b. July 15, 1820). (Maria would later marry Pascal Breland
, a magistrate for St-Francois-Xavier.)
Around 1823, Cuthbert married Marie-Marguerite McGillis, the daughter of Angus McGillis and an aboriginal woman named Marguerite. Cuthbert and Marie-Marguerite were the parents of eleven children: Elise, Charles, Pierre, Elizabeth, Marguerite, Cuthbert Louis Marie, Cuthbert, James, Sophia, Caroline, Jessie, and Julie Rose Marie Grant.
Marie-Marguerite survived another 1½ years past her husband's death in 1854. She was buried on April 30, 1856, in St.-Francois-Xavier.
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
leader of the early nineteenth century.
Life
Grant was the son of a ScottishScottish 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,...
father and Métis mother. He was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblant, a 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...
trading post located near the present-day town of Togo, Saskatchewan
Togo, Saskatchewan
Togo is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.Togo is located 0.5 miles west of the Manitoba border and approximately 45 miles northeast of Yorkton....
, where his father was a manager. In 1801 at the age of eight, he was sent to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to be educated. It is not known exactly when he returned to the West, but in 1812, he entered the service of the North West Company at the age of 19. He then travelled with the spring brigade to Pays d'en haut, the "high country" of the Northwest.
He was recognized as a leader of the Métis people, and became involved in the bitter struggle between the Nor'westers
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...
and 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...
stemming from the Pemmican Proclamation, which forbade anyone from exporting pemmican
Pemmican
Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. The word comes from the Cree word pimîhkân, which itself is derived from the word pimî, "fat, grease". It was invented by the native peoples of North America...
from the Red River Colony
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
. The capture and destruction of the North West Company's Fort Gibraltar
Fort Gibraltar
In the early 19th century fur-trading was the main industry of Western Canada. Two companies had an intense competition over the trade. The first, the Hudson's Bay Company was a London, England-based organization. The second, the North West Company was based in Montreal...
in 1816, caused further anger at the HBC from the Nor'westers and the local Métis. This led to the bloody encounter known as the Battle of Seven Oaks
Battle of Seven Oaks (1816)
The Battle of Seven Oaks took place on June 19, 1816, during the long dispute between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, rival fur-trading companies in western Canada.-Background:Miles Macdonell had issued the Pemmican Proclamation...
, where Robert Semple
Robert Semple (Canada)
Robert Semple was Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from autumn 1815 until his death at the Battle of Seven Oaks. In May 1816, the Métis led by Cuthbert Grant thought Semple and his men were going to declare war, so they got ready. Semple and some men went to confront the Métis, and a fight...
and 21 colonists from the Red River Colony were slain.
Despite this, when the two rival companies merged in 1821 under the name the Hudson's Bay Company, the new governor, Sir George Simpson
George 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,...
, requested Grant to head a Métis settlement of some 2,000 people situated some 16 miles west of the Red River settlement on the Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
. The settlement was to be known as Grantown for many years, but in more recent times was renamed St. Francois Xavier
St. François Xavier, Manitoba
St. François Xavier is a rural municipality lying west-northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is part of the Winnipeg Capital Region and had a 2001 census population of 1,024....
after the patron saint of the town.
By 1825 wheat was becoming an important food crop and although there were several windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s in operation in the area, Cuthbert Grant was the first to undertake the construction of a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
. His mill was completed on Sturgeon Creek
Sturgeon Creek
Sturgeon Creek is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1969, and was abolished in 1999....
in 1829. While the exact location is not known, it is probable that it was close to where the Portage Trail crossed the creek; and it is altogether likely that the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
was used as a bridge for crossing the creek during the season of high water. Unfortunately the dam proved unequal to the spring floods and for three successive years it was washed out. Grant finally abandoned the site and moved his machinery to Grantown where he constructed a successful windmill.
In 1828, the Hudson's Bay Company placed him in charge of the defence of the Red River Settlement. He later became a sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
and 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...
in the District of Assiniboia.
On July 15, 1854, Cuthbert died from injuries sustained after falling from his horse.
Legacy
Grant Avenue in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and the Cuthbert Grant rose, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, are named in his honour.
Family and Descendants
Cuthbert Grant was known to have been married three times and to have fathered many children.His first wife was Elizabeth "Bethsy" McKay, the sister of John Richards McKay and daughter of John McKay and Mary Favell. Grant and Bethsy courted through correspondence; the pair were married on May 22, 1814, at Fort Gibraltar. Their marriage produced one son, James (b. circa 1815). However, while Cuthbert was on trial for his part in Seven Oaks, both Bethsy and their son James disappeared. Their fate was, and remains to be unknown.
In 1820, Cuthbert was involved in a mariage du pays
Common-law marriage
Common-law marriage, sometimes called sui juris marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status that is legally recognized in limited jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage...
with Marie Desmaris. From this union, a daughter, Maria was born (b. July 15, 1820). (Maria would later marry Pascal Breland
Pascal Breland
Patrice "Pascal" "Paschal" Breland was a famous 19th century Pre confederation Canadian Métis farmer and politician...
, a magistrate for St-Francois-Xavier.)
Around 1823, Cuthbert married Marie-Marguerite McGillis, the daughter of Angus McGillis and an aboriginal woman named Marguerite. Cuthbert and Marie-Marguerite were the parents of eleven children: Elise, Charles, Pierre, Elizabeth, Marguerite, Cuthbert Louis Marie, Cuthbert, James, Sophia, Caroline, Jessie, and Julie Rose Marie Grant.
Marie-Marguerite survived another 1½ years past her husband's death in 1854. She was buried on April 30, 1856, in St.-Francois-Xavier.