Camille Lapointe Allison Bain Réginald Auger

THE INTENDANT’S PALACE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN QUÉBEC CITY Over 35 years of discoveries Students and professors of the first field school held by Université Laval in 1982, Université Laval photo; top row: Maurice Binette, Marcel Moussette, Paul-Gaston L’Anglais, Luc Coudé, Isabelle Robert, Robert Bilo- deau, Jean-Louis Roy, Michel Beaumont, Marie-Claire Robitaille, Philippe Slater, Daniel Arseneault, Danielle Fournier, Daniel Gendron, Michel Fortin; bottom row: Danielle Lefebvre, Esther Laforte, Louise Pothier, Fabienne Savard, Michelle Perron, Francine Boulet, Marie Légaré, Katherine Tremblay.

THE INTENDANT’S PALACE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN QUÉBEC CITY

Camille Lapointe Allison Bain Réginald Auger

THE INTENDANT’S PALACE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN QUÉBEC CITY Over 35 years of discoveries

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Cover page illustrations: Detail of an engraving by Richard Short, A View of the Intendants Palace, September 1, 1761, Library and Archives Canada/ Richard Short Collection/c000360k; Four-sols coin bearing the likeness of Louis XIV, button of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, bone button, Boswell beer cap, Université Laval photos; Allison Bain and Frédéric Dussault excavating the flagstone pavement in front of the Intendant’s palace, Université Laval photo. Back cover illustration: Detail of Intersection de la côte du Palais et de la rue De Saint-Vallier, 1941, Archives de la Ville de Québec, N001590. Illustration on page 2: Jean-Baptiste Franquelin, presumptive cartographer, detail of L’entrée de la Rivière du St Laurent, et la ville de Québec dans le Canada, 1668-17?, photograph of the map taken by Neuville Bazin, 1968, BnF and BAnQ, E6, S7, SS1, P6810021. Illustration on page 4: Inset by Fonville/J.-B.-Louis Franquelin, detail of Québec vue de la Canardière, 1699, BAnQ, NC89-11-62, original conserved at Service historique de la Marine in Vincennes. Editor: Hélène Dionne Linguistic revision: Solange Deschênes and Ghislaine Fiset Cartography: Andrée Héroux Page layout and cover design: Pierre-Louis Cauchon Translation: Alison McGain and Donald Kellough

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A French version of the book is also published by Les Édtions du Septentrion: Le site archéologique du palais de l'intendant à Québec. 35 années de découvertes.

© Les éditions du Septentrion Distribution in Canada: 835, avenue Turnbull Diffusion Dimedia Québec (Québec) 539, boul. Lebeau G1R 2X4 Saint-Laurent (Québec) H4N 1S2 Legal deposit: Bibliothèque et Archives Sales in Europe: nationales du Québec, 2019 Distribution du Nouveau Monde ISBN Paper: 978-2-89791-086-0 30, rue Gay-Lussac ISBN PDF: 978-2-89791-087-7 75005 Paris er iv R e c n e Québec and Northeastern r w a L

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Québec

Lake Superior Montréal

Lake Huron Toronto Lake Boston Lake

Lake Detroit Erie New York

Chicago City Capital Interprovincial border 0 200 km Washington International border

The Québec City area was explored during the Paleoindian period and frequented during the Archaic. It was also one of the preferred stopping places for Indigenous peoples during the Woodland period, as well as the site of the Iroquoian village of , mentioned by in the accounts of his voyages. Québec City, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, bears witness to some 400 years of Euro-Canadian history. Former capital of , it is the place from which French civilization spread throughout North America as of the 17th century, and it remains a symbol of French culture. After the Conquest, in 1760, Québec continued to hold the title of capital city and was considered one of the chief ports in . During the British Regime, Québec was the seat of the government of the Province of Québec and its main military post. The Constitutional Act, passed in 1791, created and . Québec became the capital of Lower Canada and continued to be the place of residence of the governor, the representative of the British Crown. The two Canadas were united by the Act of Union in 1840. The Parliament of United Canada was originally located in Kingston, but it later moved to Montréal. After 1849, Toronto and Québec alternately played the role of capital. In 1867, with Confederation, Québec was designated the capital of the Province of Québec, while Ottawa became the seat of the Government of Canada. The history of Québec City is reflected in its urban fabric, now fully integrated into the spectacular natural surroundings, as well as in its cadastral plan, public squares, parks, architecture and many archaeological sites. Its military installations illustrate the layout of fortified colonial towns and are the most complete preserved example of this type of military infrastructure in North America. 13 4e Rue

Limoilou Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency N

14

Rue des Commissaires Est 15 Saint-Charles River

Boulevard Langelier Lower Town

Rue Saint-Joseph Est

Boulevard Charest Est

12

08 Rue de Saint-Vallier Est 06 09 07 Côte de la Potasse 10 11

Côte de la Canoterie Rue Saint-Jean 03 01 Upper Town Rue Saint-Jean

Boulevard René-Lévesque Est Old Québec

05 Grande Allée Est Rue Saint-Louis

04 02

St. Lawrence River

Boulevard Champlain 04 Archaeological site Limits of the Old Québec heritage site Rue Champlain (UNESCO)

01 New Barracks and Artillery Park 06 Place Jean-Pelletier 12 Jardin Jean-Paul-L’Allier 02 Dufferin Terrace Site of the King’s Shipyard, the Saint-Paul Market and Working-class domestic site in the Saint-Roch Saint-Louis Forts and Châteaux site railyards neighbourhood 03 Hôtel-Dieu 07 Intendant’s Palace site 13 Parc du Vieux-Passage 08 Méduse Presumed location of the bridge head built on the 04 Place-Royale Saint-Charles River in 1759 Prehistoric site and Champlain’s Habitation Site of pottery workshops and tanneries 14 Hôpital général 05 Musée de la civilisation 09 Potash works Site of the Guillaume-Estèbe House 10 McCallum brewery 15 Parc du Moulin-de-l’Hôpital Prehistoric and historic site 11 Saint-Roch and Saint-Charles breweries

The Intendant’s Palace site and other archaeological sites mentioned in this publication. Preface

he authors of this publication provide non-specialists than a publication describing objects a sweeping overview of the archaeological in succession, as in a catalogue? Objects come to life landscape of the Intendant’s Palace site as through the uses and functions that human beings a whole. Their perspective is based first and ascribe to them over time. Therefore, the objects Tforemost on an interpretation of the architectural from the Intendant’s Palace site had to be placed in remains, artifacts and ecofacts discovered on this contexts that, while giving them meaning, would site over nearly five decades by Université Laval, situate them in the flow of time, i.e., in the history the City of Québec and the Ministère de la Culture of the site. This decision played a key role in the et des Communications. When I read this book, it preparation of the text and it was reinforced by an took me right back to the first trench dug on the approach where one distinctive object was chosen site in 1970 by Michel Gaumond, a pioneer in the for each significant phase of events underpinning the professional practice of archaeology in Québec. This site’s history. That object could thus be situated in trench had a determining impact on later research, the urban dynamics of its period of use, not only by for it demonstrated beyond a doubt that deposits referring to the archaeological assemblage to which dating back to the French Regime were present it belonged, but also by factoring in information at this spot. Many archaeological campaigns have from archival documents (hand-written documents, been held since then: 25 for the field school of Uni- plans, paintings, etc.). versité Laval, two intensive campaigns by the City Thus, after first drawing the reader’s attention to of Québec for the purposes of a museum project, a polished stone adze, related to the former presence which failed to go ahead, and several monitoring of Indigenous peoples, the authors shift the focus to operations. Archaeologists have accumulated a rich a four-sols coin dating from the time of Louis XIV, corpus of tangible elements related to the events followed by insect and bird remains, British military and activities that took place on the site. As a result, buttons, dinnerware damaged in the fire in Saint- there has been a veritable resurrection of this place Roch in 1845, and finally 20th-century caps and that once housed the intendants of New France bottles from the Boswell/Dow brewery. One thing and had been reduced until recently to a more literally leads to another, in step with the march of modest, but essential urban role, namely, that of time on this ever-changing site, taking the reader a fire station. through the broader urban history of Québec and Now that the importance of this site has been the way it relates to the country’s general history, clearly demonstrated by numerous studies and dating back almost a thousand years. scientific publications, which are listed in the bibli- This publication is thus an opportunity to truly ography at the end of this book, the time has come connect with a very rich archaeological collection to present the knowledge gathered to the general that has yet to yield up all its secrets – a collection public in a way that is accessible to everyone. And which, like that of Place-Royale, should be classified this is what the authors have set out to do. under the Cultural Heritage Act to ensure its protec- However, using material culture as a point tion for future generations. of departure could have involved certain pitfalls which, happily, the authors have succeeded in Marcel Moussette avoiding. Indeed, what could be more boring for Archaeologist Carte 3 La brasserie de , les palais de l'intendant et les magasins du roi dans la trame urbaine actuelle

N

Rue des Prairies

Rue Saint-Nicolas

Rue Vallière Second palace

Former fire station Jean Talon’s brewery, first palace and the King’s Stores

Côte de la Potasse 0 10 20 m

Jean Talon’s brewery, the Intendant’s Palaces and the King’s Stores in relation to the present-day urban environment. The Intendant’s Palace site over time

he Intendant’s Palace site played a very who lived there: men, women and children from important role in the history of New France all classes of society whom we sometimes know and Québec City. Located in the Lower Town by name. Archaeological and archival sources have portion of the Old Québec heritage site, which helped to provide precise descriptions of structures, Tis inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, it work organization and contexts. Through the prism is an outstanding component of that site, especially of the site’s history, it is possible to see a broad net- because it contains the remains of Intendant Jean work of ties with the natural environment, the city Talon’s brewery and the Intendant’s Palace. and the rest of the world. Thanks to close collaboration with the City of Would you like to share in some of those moments Québec and the Ministère de la Culture et des experienced by archaeologists, when they become, Communications du Québec, Université Laval held so to speak, personally acquainted with a site’s occu- 25 archaeological field schools on the Intendant’s pants? Would you like to work in archaeology? Are Palace site between 1982 and 2016. These field you keenly interested in archaeology and history? schools introduced 400 students to the profession If so, here is an opportunity to uncover a variety of of archaeology, teaching them how to excavate, items from the past that bear witness to a multitude draw, photograph and document remains of the of timeframes. past in order to preserve the memory of the site, its environment and occupants. Research, which is still ongoing, is based on an invaluable corpus of data A history spanning over 350 years and a large archaeological collection that is one of the richest in North America on the history of New The Intendant’s Palace site, which is exceptionally France. well-situated at the confluence of the Saint-Charles and St. Lawrence rivers, was frequented by Indigen- ous peoples several hundred years prior to the arrival On a first-name basis of Europeans. In the 17th century, Jean Talon turned the area bordering the Saint-Charles into This book takes readers back in time, while highlight- a production centre intended to give the colony a ing the careful work of present and future archaeolo- degree of financial autonomy. gists, as well as the contribution of conservators, Later on, this sector was organized around the who make artifacts available for study and for first followed by the second Intendant’s Palace. presentation to the general public. It also describes The King’s Stores, which were essential to the the work of the historians and specialists in natural country’s economy, were originally located in the sciences, social sciences and scientific archaeological first palace and, subsequently, in a separate build- methodology (archaeometric methods) who have ing erected on the ruins of the palace following taken part in this project. a fire in 1713. The first palace also housed the Each section of the book is associated with a Sovereign Council, the marshal’s office, symbolic object – an artifact, a particular type of prisons and the garrison bakery. It was protected plant or animal remains or an architectural feature. by fortifications highlighting the strategic character That object draws attention to a particular func- of the Saint-Charles River. Research on the French tion or figure in order to breathe new life into the Regime has shed light on the administrative and spirit of this place and the interactions of the people judicial functions of the intendant, a key figure in 12 the intendant’s palace archaeological site in québec city the colonial administration, as well as on various was proud to claim that its history could be traced aspects of managing a territory extending from back to the era of Jean Talon’s brewery. Labrador to the Gulf of Mexico and from present- The land making up the Intendant’s Palace site day Saskatchewan to . became the property of the City of Québec in 1974. After the Conquest, Québec became one of the The area has been turned into a municipal park and chief ports in British North America. It played a the vaulted cellars of the second palace are now used military and civil role, with the latter growing in as an interpretation centre. Today, the layout of the importance. Several businesses and craft workshops park, the interpretation centre and neighbouring set up operations on the site, including Clearihue’s heritage buildings reveal the complex history of the bakery. The Boswell brewery opened its doors there Intendant’s Palace and how the city developed along in 1852. Despite its modern facilities, the company the shores of the Saint-Charles River.

Open house day at the 2012 field school. A few dates

1 000-400 years ago A stopping place 1663 Louis XIV makes New France a royal colony 1665-1675 Intendant Jean Talon’s brewery, potash works and shipyard 1675-1686 Construction of the intendant’s quarters next to the former brewery 1686-1713 Conversion of the former brewery into the Intendant’s Palace and occupation of the first palace 1690 Construction of a palisade to defend the palace complex 1713 Destruction of the first palace in a fire 1713-1760 Construction and occupation of the King’s Stores on the site of the first palace 1713-1775 Construction and occupation of the second palace 1722-1775 Use of the western privy of the second palace 1725 Destruction of the second palace in a fire and reconstruction ca. 1750 Construction of a roadway paved with flagstone between the palace complex and the Château Saint-Louis 1759-1775 Surrender of Québec and use of the second palace as a military barracks 1760-1820 Military occupation and parcelling out of land making up the Intendant’s Palace site 1760 Accidental destruction of the King’s Stores by the British army in a fire 1765 Allocation of the first plots of land in the old palace complex 1775 American invasion and deliberate destruction of the second palace by the British army 1816 Opening of Rue Saint-Paul ca. 1825 Purchase of several plots of land by the baker James Clearihue 1843 Fire in the neighbourhood 1845 Fire in the Saint-Roch neighbourhood 1849 Inauguration of a coal gas lighting system for Québec’s main streets 1852-1974 Boswell-Dow brewery and dwellings 1854 Inauguration of the city’s water supply and sewer system 1871 Departure of the garrison 1885 Québec becomes the first city in Canada to use hydroelectricity to power its lighting system 1923 Extension of Rue des Prairies over part of the remains of the second palace ca. 1930 Creation of a municipal garbage collection service 1974 to today City park, archaeological site and interpretation centre

1982 to today Archaeological research by Université Laval and the City of Québec

Over 400 years ago A stopping place

or centuries, Indigenous peoples explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Cham- frequented the shores and estuary of the plain. Individuals or small groups very likely made Saint-Charles River. The importance of this occasional stopovers on the Intendant’s Palace site, waterway is attested to by archaeological which was part of a much more extensive range of Fdiscoveries as well as the written accounts of the resource use.

1 cm

Roughened, polished adze made of serpentinite used for wood-working.

Determining the function of the adze Use-wear analysis studies the traces left on objects by their use: striations, fractures and wear. To undertake this analytical technique, a microscope is used to examine signs of wear, most of which are invisible to the naked eye. Interpretation is based on an experimental analysis in which equivalent objects are subjected to presumptive conditions of use in order to determine the cause of wear and the duration of use.

 “White cedar of Canada,” “red cedar of Virginia,” and Passiflora (passion flower), illustrations of plants produced by the Jesuit Father Louis Nicolas between 1664 and 1675, excerpted from the Codex canadensis. 16 the intendant’s palace archaeological site in québec city

estuary and the St. Lawrence. However, runoff from Making stone tools the cliff, combined with tides, made the site little conducive to long stays. Until about 1,000 years ago, flooding frequently A few stone tools that cannot be attributed to occurred at the Intendant’s Palace site, making it any particular group, along with traces of a hearth, very different from what it has become today. The lead archaeologists to think that the site was used site thus previously consisted of a narrow strip of for stopovers. On the basis of radiocarbon dating, land wedged between the cliff and the Saint-Charles a technique used with animal or plant samples, this River foreshore flats. Archaeological excavations have presence occurred between 975 and 710 B.P. [Before brought to light plant remains that provide indica- Present] – i.e., during the Late Woodland period. tion that a mixed-wood forest and marshes then covered the landscape. White cedar, eastern hemlock, balsam fir, white spruce and birch grew in the better- The right stone to make the right tool drained areas, while alder, Canadian elder, American red elderberry and common ninebark sprang up in The adze is a tool with a blade set at right angles wetter zones. The site was also home to pondweed, that is used to shape wood. Indigenous peoples a semiaquatic plant typical of shoreline marsh areas. used various types of stones and employed a range Offering easy access from the water, the site was of techniques to produce tools, all depending on the no doubt located along a route running inland from intended use of the instrument. The small adze found the St. Lawrence River. It offered an extensive view at the Intendant’s Palace site was probably fashioned out over the mouth of the Saint-Charles, and the using an elongated cobble selected on the basis of its natural notch currently occupied by the hillside general appearance, which somewhat resembled the street known as Côte du Palais connected it to the desired tool. A hammerstone was used to roughen promontory, which afforded an outstanding observa- the stone into its final shape, with only the cutting tion post. Any group making a stopover could avail edge being polished. This method of tool-making itself of the site’s woods and drinking water. Fish was more characteristic of the Iroquoians than of and game were abundant both in the Saint-Charles the Algonquians.

Reconstituting the former environment of the Intendant’s Palace Current archaeology accords considerable importance to the environmental aspect of sites. What was the “landscape” of the site and what resources were available on it? How were these resources used? How were they modified by the presence of humans and their activities? The interpretation of architectural remains and objects thus goes hand in hand with the interpretation of plant remains (archaeobotany), animal bones (zooarchaeology), insects (archaeoentomology), wood (xylology) and an array of other elements. 1665-1686 From Jean Talon’s industries to the first Intendant’s Palace

n 1638, the Cent-Associés (Company of One widow, Guillemette Hébert, daughter of Louis Hébert. Hundred Associates) verbally promised Guillaume In 1668, when Intendant Talon purchased the lot Couillard the ownership of approximately 50 arpents containing the Intendant’s Palace site as a location for along the Saint-Charles River. It took an additional industries, it had already become integrated into the I30 years before this land was granted in writing to his urban fabric and was home to several buildings.

Detail of the map of Québec drawn by Robert de Villeneuve in 1685 showing the intendant’s living quarters in the former brewery (3), the potash works (12), the King’s mill, the white house of Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye (6), “where are located a portion of the powders” and his mill, as well as the lime kilns that “the intendant had built for him” (13). Houses had already been constructed along Rue Saint-Nicolas, and the environment was wooded. Silver four-sols coin bearing the likeness of Louis XIV and struck in 1677. Under this former system of currency, twelve deniers made one sol and twenty sols made one livre.

Louis XIV’s four-sols piece In 1663, following more than a half-century of eco- nomic stagnation under the administration of com- panies, Louis XIV organized New France along the lines of the provinces of France. The king thereupon appointed an intendant to support the governor and endowed the existing Council with the features of the kingdom’s Sovereign Councils. Thus, while the governor oversaw military and diplomatic matters, the intendant was in charge of justice, police and finance. The Sovereign Council, which functioned primarily as a court of justice, initially played a significant political and administrative role. Jean Talon, the first intendant to reside in New France, strove to provide the colony with a degree of autonomy and to diversify its economy, which until then had centred on the . While complying with the policies set in the mother country, he made it his priority to harvest and use local natural resources and to develop agriculture. In particular, he promoted the growing of hemp and flax, used to make sails and rigging, as well as barley and hops, used to make beer. Anticipating surpluses, Intendant Talon laid the groundwork for triangular trade that would connect Canada and France by way of the French Indies, which Portrait of Intendant Jean Talon by Claude François, Récollet needed timber, in particular. friar known as Brother Luc, 1671. Table of contents

Preface 9 A wives’ tale 85

The Intendant’s Palace site over time 11 1760-1845 On a first-name basis 11 A military and civil occupation 91 A history spanning over 350 years 11 Soldiers’ munitions 92 To the health of those still with us! 97 A few dates 13 Soldiers and uniforms 100 New products for local residents 104 0ver 400 years ago Coins of the realm 110 A stopping place 15 Small businesses and workshops 113 Making stone tools 16 Milk pans and potters 116 Fancy turners and domino players 119 1665-1686 From Jean Talon’s industries 1845-1974 to the first Intendant’s Palace 17 Breweries and dwellings 123 Louis XIV’s four-sols piece 18 Fires and their victims 124 “Wood feeds the fire that burns it” 22 Hygiene and miracle cures 127 Lice, fleas and bedbugs: a truly repellent problem 131 1686-1713 The master brewer’s bottles 135 The first Intendant’s Palace 25 Snuffers and night owls 139 Refined living for the intendant and his family 27 To market, to market 142 Working in the King’s Stores 30 Malt kiln tiles from Boswell & Brother 148 Major Provost’s palisade 33 Boots for the working man 155 Children and toys 159 1713-1760 The new Intendant’s Palace 39 1974 to today An archaeological site 1713-1760 and interpretation centre 163 The King’s Stores 45 Archaeology and dating 164 The ring of the beloved 45 The recent history of the Intendant’s Palace site 170 Insects, the baker’s enemy 49 The storekeeper’s gunflints 52 Looking ahead… 176 The lock and key of Justice 57 Acknowledgments 177 1713-1775 The second Intendant’s Palace 61 Bibliography 178 The Governor’s seal 65 Bed and board and broom 68 Acronyms 181 Palace guests 75 Talking turkey 80 List of illustrations 181 By amulets becharmed 82 designed and typeset by pierre-louis cauchon in adobe garamond pro 11 this book was printed in april 2019 by l’imprimerie marquis montmagny for gilles herman les éditions du septentrion Students of the 2016 field school, Université Laval photo; top row: Laura Delaunay, Isabelle Auger, Marie-Ève Laferrière-Lyrette, Élianne Gravel, Natasha Joannis, Rachel Archambault, Charles-Olivier Dumont, Sacha Pilote, Thomas Mairey; bottom row: Marjolaine Bisson, Marc-Antoine Lettre, Loue Biron, Patricia Loubier, Marie-Anne Paradis, Andréanne Bolduc. he Intendant’s Palace site is a complex archaeological site that has witnessed many simultaneous and successive occupations. T It is considered to be a place of major importance in the history of New France, particularly because it contains the remains of Intendant Jean Talon’s brewery and the Intendant’s Palace. Between 1982 and 2016, Université Laval held 25 archaeological field schools on the Intendant’s Palace site and the City of Québec conducted two full-scale excavations there. This book is based on an invaluable corpus of data and a large archaeological collection that is one of the richest in North America on the history of New France. The book brings the site back to life by examining its architectural features, artefacts and plant and animal remains from archaeological and historical perspectives. In this way, it reveals the far-reaching ties that existed between the site’s occupants and the natural environment, the city and the rest of the world.

Camille Lapointe is an archaeologist and art historian. She has written many articles and books on cultural heritage. She specializes in dissemi­ nating archaeological research with a view to making it accessible to all those with an interest in the memory of places, structural remains and objects.

Allison Bain is an archaeologist at Université Laval and a member of the CELAT. She is the director of Université Laval’s historical archaeology field school and environmental archaeology laboratory. Her research focuses on past interactions between humans and their environment.

Réginald Auger is an archaeologist at Université Laval, where he teaches archaeological theory and practice. He set up the university’s archaeometry research group and is in charge of its archaeological laboratories. A former director of the CELAT, he is currently involved in research on archaeology in Québec City and a sugar plantation in Guyana.

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q c c a 9 782897 910860 SEPTENTRION. .