Lt.-Colonel The Hon. Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury (October 28, 1798 – September 15, 1862) of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

was a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

founder and noted

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

list.

Bleury Street Park Avenue (officially in ) is one of central Montreal's major north-south streets. It derives its name from Mount Royal Park, by which it runs. Between Mount Royal Avenue and Pine Avenue, the street separates the eastern side of the mountain pa ...

in Montreal is named for him. His nephews included the Prime Minister of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Sir

Charles Boucher de Boucherville Sir Charles-Eugène-Napoléon Boucher de Boucherville (May 4, 1822 – September 10, 1915) was a Canadian politician and medical doctor. He twice served as the premier of Quebec. Personal life Boucher was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

, and Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier, from whose house the City of Outremont takes its name.

Early life

Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury was born into an old military family at William-Henry,

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

, October 28, 1798. He was the son of

Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

Clément-Christophe Sabrevois de Bleury (1755–1827) and Amélia Bowers, daughter of a retired British army officer at Halifax, possibly Captain Daniel Bower of Parrsborough. His paternal ancestor, a younger son of Henri de Sabrevois,

Sieur Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English feudal (specifically baronial) system. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the ...

de Sermonville, came from Garancières-en-Beauce to

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

in 1685 as a young

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

of an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

company; later made a

Chevalier de Saint-Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fir ...

. In 1764, his grandfather sold the family

seigneuries A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

at Sabrevois and Bleury to General Gabriel Christie for £7,300. Sabrevois de Bleury grew up in

at what is now known as ''La Maison Clément-Sabrevois de Bleury'', situated on Rue Saint-Gabriel.

Law and Military

From 1809 to 1815, he was educated in

at the Collège Saint-Raphaël. He entered the legal offices of his brother-in-law, Basile-Benjamin Trottier Desrivières-Beaubien, and was called to the

Bar of Montreal The Bar of Montreal () is the section of the Bar of Quebec for lawyers in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has it beginnings in 1693 when, as a Royal Province of the French colonial empire, ''Canadien'' lawyers first tried to obtain offic ...

in 1819. He soon gained a brilliant reputation and "won over Montreal's high society by his charm, elegant manners, and refined style of living". His family background and his skill in arms gained him a commission in 1825 as a

in the 3rd Battalion of Montreal

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

. In 1830, he was promoted Captain in the ''Chasseurs Canadiens''. In 1838, he was promoted Major and ten years later he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Montreal Rifles.

Politics

In 1832, after the resignation of François-Roch de Saint-Ours, he was elected to parliament for Richelieu, supporting the Patriote movement. In his early political career he followed the lead of

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...

, but from 1835 laid his support behind the more moderate

Elzéar Bédard Elzéar Bédard (24 July 1799 – 11 August 1849) was a lawyer and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. He later became a judge. He was born at Quebec City in 1799, the son of Pierre-Stanislas Bédard. Bédard received a typical ...

. Bleury served as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

for

from 1839 until late 1844, when he was again elected to the legislature, and once again in 1847. Again, he supported the government on most issues, though he also opposed them on some. He was not a candidate in the 1847–48 elections.

Duel with Charles-Ovide Perrault

On January 8, 1836, he became embroiled in an altercation on the floor of the House with

Charles-Ovide Perrault Charles-Ovide Perrault (September 24, 1809 – November 24, 1837) was a lawyer and political figure in Lower Canada. He represented Vaudreuil in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1834 to 1837. He was born in Montreal, the son of ...

, the Patriote representative for Vaudreuil. The point of issue between them was who should, and who should not, be called before a committee that was looking into the sale of

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

. The exchange came to an end with Bleury returning to his seat and grumbling aloud about having to conduct business 'with filth'. Perrault was angered by the insult and went to see

about it. Papineau suggested, in pontifical manner, that it would be best to meet with Bleury somewhere outside the House, and let him know that the insult had been noticed. Perrault took this to mean that he should teach the man a lesson. When next they met, in the dark of night on an icy patch of road near the Battery, he threw the first punch. What ensued was a farcical fist fight in which the combatants were unable to keep their footing on the ice as they flailed away at each other. It only ended when Perrault landed a blow which knocked Bleury down, and then, unable to retain his balance, fell on top of him. The two were finally separated by

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

. The following morning, Bleury, wanting revenge, sent a peremptory note, transmitted by Aaron Ezekiel Hart, to Perrault demanding satisfaction, and a

was set. Bleury was quite confident, as he had already fought three duels before. They met for the duel in the woods of

L'Ancienne-Lorette L'Ancienne-Lorette () is a city in central Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of and an enclave within Quebec City. It was merged with Quebec City on January 1, 2002, as part of a 2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec, but, after a 2004 r ...

at three o'clock in the evening. Their seconds placed the two men 36 feet apart, loaded the pistols, then set about trying to negotiate a compromise, talking with each other, then their principals. At last a solution was worked out. The seconds negotiated a peaceful and honourable resolution of the dispute, both Perrault and Bleury apologized to each other, shook hands, and discharged their pistols into the air to end the matter. They returned to their respective

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

s, proceeding to a

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

for a drink before going back to

. Perrault lost his life the following year at the battle of Saint-Denis on the Richelieu. On April 5 that same year, Bleury fought another duel with

Ludger Duvernay Ludger Duvernay (January 22, 1799 – November 28, 1852), born in Verchères, Quebec, was a printer by profession and published a number of newspapers including the '' Gazette des Trois-Rivières,'' the first newspaper in Lower Canada outside ...

, the owner of ''

La Minerve ''La Minerve'' (French for "The Minerva") was a newspaper founded in Montreal, Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) by Augustin-Norbert Morin to promote the political goals of Louis-Joseph Papineau's Parti patriote. It was notably directed by L ...

'', which ended with Duvernay being shot in the right

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

Death

Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury died September 15, 1862, at his

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

at Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, near Laval,

Canada East Canada East () was the northeastern portion of the Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new colony, known as the Province of ...

at the age of 63. He is buried in

Notre Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It ...

. After his death, Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier, a nephew by marriage, bought the heavily mortgaged manor house.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabrevois De Bleury, Clement-Charles 1798 births 1862 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East People from Sorel-Tracy Politicians from Montérégie Canadian Anglicans Canadian lawyers Canadian duellists