Habitant

Habitants in New France were largely defined by the condition on the land that it could be forfeited unless it was cleared within a certain period of time. That condition kept the land from being sold by the seigneur and led instead to its being subgranted to peasant farmers, also called habitants. When habitants were granted the title deed to a lot, they had to agree to accept a variety of annual charges and restrictions. Rent was the most important of them and could be in money, produce, or labour. Once the rent was set, it could not be altered for inflation or time. Habitants essentially were free to develop their land as they wished, with only a few obligations to the seigneur.