Justice Website Design, Content and the Reports © April 2, 2002 by Eric Krause, Krause House Info-Research Solutions (© 1996)
All Images © Parks Canada Unless Otherwise Designated

  Researching the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada
  Recherche sur la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg Lieu historique national du Canada

Search All Sites/All Menus ~
Cherche Tous les Sites/Tous les Menus
The Administration Of Justice
At The Fortress Of Louisbourg (1713-1758)

Fortress of Louisbourg / Forteresse-de-Louisbourg

GLOSSARY

BACK

Glossary: A List of Terms with Explanations or Translations

A List of Key Terms with Explanations or Translations 

  • Cachot

  
  • Dungeon
  • Caporal de Garde
  
  • Corporal of the guard having charge of prisoners' detention
  • Casser la Tête
  
  • Death by firing squad
  • Cheval de bois
  
  • Instrument of punishment having four legs and a pointed seat which a guilty soldier was made to sit for a period of time to make amends for his offense
  • Conclusion
  
  • Decision reached by a conseil de Guerre as to guilt or innonence of an accused soldier
  • Confrontation
  
  • Face to face meeting between an accused and witnesses against him
  • Conseil de Guerre
  
  • Court martial or its tribuanl
  • Écroue
  
  • Register kept of prison inmates
  • En Dernier Ressort
  
  • Without appeal
  • Instruction 
  
  • Preliminary hearing conducted to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a Conseil de Guerre
  • Interrogatoire 
  
  • Questioning of witnesses during a Conseil de Guerre
  • Jugement
  
  • Sentencing of an accussed at a Conseil de Guerre
  • Juges ordinaires
  
  • Civil judges
  • Letter de Grâce
  
  • Official pardon
  • Passer par les armes
  
  • Death by firing squad
  • Passrr par les baguettes
  
  • Punishment inflicted by having the accused run the gauntlet between two rows of comarades who would strike him with sticks or the straps from their muskets. Though baguette  means ramrod, these do not appear to have been used
  • Plainte
  
  • Complaint initiated against one accused of crime or infraction of the regulations
  • Plumatif
  
  • Minutes or record of proceedings
  • Procureur
  
  • Prosecutor 
  • Récolement
  
  • The reading of witnesses' testimony back to them during a Conseil de Guerre. Testimony could be amended following this reading but at no future time
  • Sans Remission
  
  • Without possibility of commutation
  • Sellette
  
  • A wooden penitence stool on which an accused was made to kneel when questioned for the final time. Kneeling naturally increased discomfort, thus encouraging a willingness to answer.

 

[Sources: Excerpt from Margaret Fortier, Fortress Security and Military Justice at Louisbourg, 1720-45, Unpublished Report H E 14 (Fortress of Louisbourg, 1980), pp. 80-83]