1851 Pease Map of French and English Grants on Lake Champlain

This is an 1851 Richard H. Pease map of Lake Champlain illustrating French and English land grants. These grants were key to both French and English attempts to establish control over the strategically and commercially signficant lake.

A Closer Look

French grants are illustrated in yellow and English grants in black. The Dominic Dellius Grant of 1696 is highlighted, as the northern part of the Dellius grant is outlined in red. Apart from the depiction of the grants, very little detail is included. Within Lake Champlain, both Grand Isle and Long Island are named.

Comments on the Grants

While the chronology of the grants is unclear, it is apparent that, except for that of Dominic Dellius, the French grants were much larger than the English. Given the work in which this map was included, it is possible that better records were available regarding English grants, which allows for their more precise presentation.

Granting Control of Lake Champlain

The Lake Champlain region, straddling what is now the border between New York and Vermont, and extending into Quebec, was a focal point of French and English colonial ambitions in North America. The French, arriving first in the early 17th century, established strategic military outposts and engaged in fur trading. They fortified Lake Champlain as far south as Crown Point, building Fort St. Frederick and Carillon (Ticonderoga). French King Louis XV established land grants, known as seigneuries, along the lake's shores. French settlers slowly moved into the region. The area became increasingly contested during the 18th century during the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763), which saw the English establish regional hegemony. Post-war, the British issued colonial grants to solidify their presence and encourage settlement, even as the region remained a hotbed of contention between New York and the New Hampshire Grants, the latter of which eventually became Vermont. The strategic value of Lake Champlain, underscored by its use in subsequent conflicts like the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783), highlights its importance in the colonial struggle for control and influence in North America.

Publication History

This map was engraved and printed by Richard H. Pease of Albany, and included in Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan's 1851 Documentary History of the State of New York. We note perhaps a dozen examples of the separate map cataloged in OCLC.