Tenants in Time by Catharine Anne Wilson, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

Using evidence from across Upper Canada she shows how tenancy transformed the landscape and tied old and new settlers together in a continuum of mutual dependence that was essential to settlement, capital creation, and social mobility. Her analysis of customary rights reveals a landlord-tenant relationship - and a concept of ownership - more complex and flexible than previously understood. Landlords, from ordinary farmers to absentee aristocrats, are also part of the story and the much-criticized clergy reserves take a positive role. An intimate exploration of Cramahe Township follows tenants over the generations as they supported their families and combined liberal ideas with household-centered ways. From aggregate statistics to individual human dramas, Tenants in Time unravels the life of the tenant farmer in a wonderfully documented, engaging, and compelling argument. | Tenants in Time by Catharine Anne Wilson, Paperback | Indigo Chapters