Control and Order in French Colonial Louisbourg, 1713-1758

by A.J.B. Johnston

Control and Order in French Colonial Louisbourg, 1713-1758 is the culmination of nearly a quarter century of research and writing on 18th-century Louisbourg by A. J. B. Johnston. The author uses a multitude of primary archival sources-official correspondence, court records, parish registries, military records, and hundreds of maps and plans-to put together a detailed analysis of a distinctive colonial society. Located on Cape Breton Island (then known as Île Royale), the seaport and stronghold of Louisbourg emerged as one of the most populous and important settlements in all of New France. Its economy was based on fishing and trade, and the society that developed there had little or nothing to do with the fur trade, or the seigneurial regime that characterized the Canadian interior. Johnston traces the evolution of a broad range of controlling measures that were introduced and adapted to achieve an ordered civil and military society at Louisbourg. Town planning, public celebrations, diversity in the population, use of punishments, excessive alcohol consumption, the criminal justice system, and sexual abuse are some of the windows that reveal attempts to control and regulate society. A. J. B. Johnston's Control and Order in French Colonial Louisbourg offers both a broad overview of the colony's evolution across its half-century of existence, and insightful analyses of the ways in which control was integrated into the mechanisms of everyday life.

490 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

John (or Jay) is a Canadian historian and novelist. His website is ajbjohnston.com and he is on Facebook at HistoryandFiction (A J B Johnston, Writer).

Years as an historian at the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island gave John the background to bring the 18th century alive in his series of Thomas Pichon Novels: Thomas, A Secret Life (2012), The Maze (2014) and Crossings (2015). There will be one more novel to complete the tale.

Published by Nimbus in 2020 was "Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns." It's the story of a legendary 1960s Nova Scotia rock 'n' roll band.
The author also worked with others to create a a 5-minute micro-doc that is a companion to the book. That video is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZC7S....

In 2021, Acorn Press published "Ancient Land, New Land: Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst NHS," co-authored with Jesse Francis.

Jay's latest book is "Into the Wind: A Novel of Acadian Resilience." Published by Acorn Press, it offers a fresh, 21st-century look at the Acadian Deportation, exploring it through the eyes of 14-year old Marie and 10-year old Charles.

"Something True" is a coming-of-age story of Katharine McLennan. It's set in late 19th-century and early 20th-century Cape Breton and in France during the First World War.

In recognition of John's body of work on the history of the French in Atlantic Canada, the French Republic made him a chevalier of the Ordre des palmes académiques.

In 2017, John was Writer-in-Residence at the Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama.