Editing Acadia (section)

==Government==
Acadia was in territory disputed between France and Great Britain. England controlled the area from 1621 to 1632 (see [[William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling]]) and again from 1654 until 1670 (see [[William Crowne]] and [[Thomas Temple]]), with control permanently regained by its successor state, the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], in 1710 (ceded under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713). Although France controlled the territory in the remaining periods, French monarchs consistently neglected Acadia.{{sfn|Moogk|2000|p=7}} Civil government under the French regime was held by a series of Governors (see [[List of governors of Acadia]]). The government of New France was in Quebec, but it had only nominal authority over the Acadians.{{sfn|Moogk|2000|p=9}}

The Acadians implemented village self-rule.{{sfn|Moogk|2000|p=176}} Even after Canada had given up its elected spokesmen, the Acadians continued to demand a say in their own government, as late as 1706 petitioning the monarchy to allow them to elect spokesmen each year by a plurality of voices. In a sign of his indifference to the colony, [[Louis XV]] agreed to their demand.{{sfn|Moogk|2000|p=175}} This representative assembly was a direct offshoot of a government system that developed out of the seigneurial and church parish imported from Europe. The seigneurial system was a "set of legal regimes and practices pertaining to local landholding, politics, economics, and jurisprudence."<ref name="Fowler2009">{{cite thesis |last=Fowler |first=Jonathan |title=The Neutral French of Mi'kma'ki: And Archaeology of Acadian Identities Prior to 1755 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cLMGngEACAAJ&pg=PP1 |year=2009 |type=PhD Thesis |publisher=Oxford University}}</ref> 
Many of the French governors of Acadia prior to [[Hector d'Andigné de Grandfontaine]] held seigneuries in Acadia. As Seigneur, in addition to the power held as governor, they held the right to grant land, collect their seigneurial rents, and act in judgement over disputes within their domain.<ref name="Fowler2009"/> 
After Acadia came under direct Royal rule under Grandfontaine the Seigneurs continued to fulfill governance roles. 
The Acadian seignuerial system came to an end when the British Crown bought the seigneurial rights in the 1730s.

The Catholic parish system along with the accompanying parish priest also aided in the development Acadian self-government. Priests, given their respected position, often assisted the community in representation with the civil government at Port Royal/Annapolis Royal. Within each parish the Acadians used the elected {{lang|fr|marguilliers}} (wardens) of the {{lang|fr|conseil de fabrique}} to administer more than just the churches' affairs in the parishes. The Acadians extended this system to see to the administrative needs of the community in general. The Acadians protected this structure from the priests and were "No mere subordinates to clerical authority, wardens were 'always suspicious of any interference by the priests' in the life of the rural parish, an institution which was, ... , largely a creation of the inhabitants."<ref name="Fowler2009"/> During the British regime many of the deputies were drawn from this {{lang|fr|marguillier}} group.

The Acadians occupied a borderland region of the British and French empires. As such the Acadian homeland was subjected to the ravages of war on numerous occasions. Through experience the Acadians learned to distrust imperial authorities (British and French). This is evidenced in a small way when Acadians were uncooperative with census takers.{{sfn|Moogk|2000|p=7}} Administrators complained of constant in-fighting among the population, which filed many petty civil suits with colonial magistrates. Most of these were over boundary lines, as the Acadians were very quick to protect their new lands.{{sfn|Brasseaux|1987|p=8}}

===Governance under the British after 1710===
{{Main|Deputy (Acadian)}}
After 1710, the British military administration continued to utilize the deputy system the Acadians had developed under French colonial rule. Prior to 1732 the deputies were appointed by the governor from men in the districts of Acadian families "as ancientest and most considerable in Lands & possessions,".{{sfn|MacMechan|1900|page=59|loc=<ref>{{Cite web |year = 1900| url=https://archive.org/stream/acalendartwolet01macmgoog#page/n72/mode/2up| title = A calendar of two letter-books and one commission-book in the possession of the government of Nova Scotia, 1713-1741 }}</ref>}} 
This appears to be in contravention of various [[British penal law]]s which made it nearly impossible for Roman Catholics and Protestant recusants to hold military and government positions. The need for effective administration and communication in many of the British colonies trumped the laws.

In 1732, the governance institution was formalized. Under the formalized system the colony was divided into eight districts. Annually on October 11 free elections were to take place where each district, depending on its size, was to elect two, three, or four deputies. In observance of the Lord's Day, if October 11 fell on a Sunday the elections were to take place on the immediately following Monday. Notice of the annual election was to be given in all districts thirty days before the election date. Immediately following election, deputies, both outgoing and incoming, were to report to Annapolis Royal to receive the governor's approval and instructions. Prior to 1732 deputies had complained about the time and expense of holding office and carrying out their duties. Under the new elected deputy system each district was to provide for the expenses of their elected deputies.

The duties of the deputies were broad and included reporting to the government in council the affairs of the districts, distribution of government proclamations, assistance in the settlement of various local disputes (primarily related to land), and ensuring that various weights and measures used in trade were "Conformable to the Standard".{{sfn|MacMechan|1900|p=190|loc=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/acalendartwolet01macmgoog#page/n204/mode/2up/|title=A calendar of two letter-books and one commission-book in the possession of the government of Nova Scotia, 1713-1741|year=1900}}</ref>}}

In addition to deputies, several other public positions existed. Each district had a clerk who worked closely with the deputies and under his duties recorded the records and orders of government, deeds and conveyances, and kept other public records. With the rapid expansion of the Acadian populace, there was also a growing number of cattle and sheep. The burgeoning herds and flocks, often free-ranging, necessitated the creation of the position of Overseer of Flocks. These individuals controlled where the flocks grazed, settled disputes and recorded the names of individuals slaughtering animals to ensure proper ownership. Skins and hides were inspected for brands.

After the purchase by the British Crown of the seigniorial rights in Acadia, various rents and fees were due to the Crown. In the Minas, Piziquid and Cobequid Districts the seigniorial fees were collected by the "Collector & Receiver of All His Majesty's Quit Rents, Dues, or Revenues". The Collector was to keep a record of all rents and other fees collected, submit the rents to Annapolis Royal, and retain fifteen percent to cover his expenses.{{sfn|MacMechan|1900|p=248|loc=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/acalendartwolet01macmgoog#page/n262/mode/2up|title = A calendar of two letter-books and one commission-book in the possession of the government of Nova Scotia, 1713-1741|year = 1900}}</ref>}}<ref name=Morris>{{cite book |last=Morris |first=Charles |title=A Brief Survey of Nova Scotia |via=The National Archives of Canada |publisher=The Royal Artillery Regimental Library, Woolwich, UK}}</ref>