François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier De Lorimier on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier (December 27, 1803 – February 15, 1839), also known under shorter names such as François-Marie-Thomas de Lorimier, Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier or Chevalier de Lorimier, was a
Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorimier, Francois-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de 1803 births 1839 deaths People executed by Canada by hanging Executed revolutionaries Lower Canada Rebellion people Quebec revolutionaries Executed Canadian people 19th-century executions by the United Kingdom Executed French people People executed by Lower Canada Canadian notaries People executed by British North America by hanging People from Lanaudière
François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier (December 27, 1803 – February 15, 1839), also known under shorter names such as François-Marie-Thomas de Lorimier, Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier or Chevalier de Lorimier, was a notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
who fought as a Patriote
The patriotes movement was a political movement that existed in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) from the turn of the 19th century to the Patriote Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 and the subsequent Act of Union of 1840. The partisan embodiment o ...
and Frère chasseur for the independence of Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...
(present-day Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
) in the Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southe ...
. For these actions, he was incarcerated at the Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
Pied-du-Courant Prison
The Pied-du-Courant Prison (french: Prison du Pied-du-Courant) is a prison museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada near the Saint Lawrence River and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
Overview
The original plan for a prison in Montreal was designed by ...
and was hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
at the site by the British authorities.
de Lorimier was born in Saint-Cuthbert, Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...
.
Trial and execution
On January 11, 1839 de Lorimier and three of his comrades (two of whom managed to escape before being executed; the other was Chevrier Bénard) appeared before the British Council of War. Refused his request for a trial in a civilian court, de Lorimier apparently effectively defended himself and challenged the crown's evidence. However, Jean-Baptiste-Henri Brien, one of his co-accused and terrified of the scaffold, signed a confession incriminating de Lorimier and others and the British authorities, having failed to seize the main leaders of the rebellion, arguably pursued his death to make an example. On January 21 de Lorimier and his companions were found guilty of high treason and sentenced to be hanged which took place on February 15, 1839, together with Charles Hindelang, Amable Daunais, François Nicolas and Pierre-Rémi Narbonne. The day before, de Lorimier wrote his political testament:I die without remorse; in the insurrection I only desired the well-being and independence rom Britainof my country. My views and my actions were sincere and were innocent of any of the crimes which dis-honor mankind, and which are too common when released passions boil up... In spite of so many mishaps, my heart still keeps its courage and its hopes for the future; my children and my friends will see better days. Looking tranquilly ahead, I am sure that they will win freedom. That is what fills me with joy when all around me is sorry and desolation... I leave behind me children whose only heritage is the memory of my misfortune. Poor orphans, it is you who are to be pitied, you whom the bloody and arbitrary hand of the law strikes through my death. You will have no gentile and affectionate memories of happy days with your father. When you are old enough to reflect, you will see in your father a man who has paid on the scaffold for actions such as have immortalized other happier men. The only crime of your father was his failure.Quoted in Margaret Fairley, ''The Spirit of Canadian Democracy'', Progress Publishing, Toronto: 1945, pgs 46-47.He was executed with such people as the French-born
Charles Hindelang Charles Hindelang (March 29, 1810 – February 15, 1839) was a French-born military man who fought for the independence of Lower Canada (present-day Quebec). For these actions, he was hanged by the British authorities. Born in Paris, he also ha ...
. His character plays a notable role in Pierre Falardeau
Pierre Falardeau (December 28, 1946 – September 25, 2009) was a Québécois film and documentary director, pamphleteer and noted activist for Quebec independence.
Falardeau wrote at least one book, ''Rien n'est plus précieux que la libertà ...
's film ''February 15, 1839
''February 15, 1839'' (french: 15 février 1839) is a 2001 Quebec historical drama film. Directed by Pierre Falardeau, it is about the incarceration at the Pied-du-Courant Prison and the execution by hanging there of Patriote participants of th ...
'' about the incarceration and execution of the Patriotes. de Lorimier Avenue honours his memory in Montreal.
See also
* Executions at the Pied-du-Courant Prison *Patriote movement
The patriotes movement was a political movement that existed in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) from the turn of the 19th century to the Patriote Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 and the subsequent Act of Union of 1840. The partisan embodiment o ...
*Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism or Québécois nationalism is a feeling and a political doctrine that prioritizes cultural belonging to, the defence of the interests of, and the recognition of the political legitimacy of the Québécois nation. It has been ...
*Quebec independence movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision of ...
*History of Quebec
Quebec was first called ''Canada'' between 1534 and 1763. It was the most developed colony of New France as well as New France's centre, responsible for a variety of dependencies (ex. Acadia, Plaisance, Louisiana, and the Pays d'en Haut). Co ...
*Timeline of Quebec history
This article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Qu ...
References
External links
Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorimier, Francois-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de 1803 births 1839 deaths People executed by Canada by hanging Executed revolutionaries Lower Canada Rebellion people Quebec revolutionaries Executed Canadian people 19th-century executions by the United Kingdom Executed French people People executed by Lower Canada Canadian notaries People executed by British North America by hanging People from Lanaudière