Subsistence in the Conquest Era: Food Security, Agriculture, and Allegiance in the Governance of Nova Scotia, 1710-1720

Abstract

This study examines the conquest era in Nova Scotia between 1710 and 1720, placing food security and agriculture at the forefront of policy and debate while British authorities struggled to transform Acadia into Nova Scotia amidst imperial transitions and geopolitical conflicts. Primary sources, primarily from national archives, such as judicial records, letters, petitions, government documents, meeting minutes, government and military reports, census data, and trade records are examined to understand the relationship between agricultural practices and policies in Nova Scotia and the interactions between Acadian and Britons, with some consideration of indigenous peoples, during and after key events during the conquest era, namely: 1) the British occupation and control of mainland Acadia beginning in 1710 and confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713; 2) the increase in British interest and power in the region from 1713 to 1719; 3) the establishment of the Nova Scotia Council in 1720 and the subsequent increase of British institutions in Nova Scotia. Ultimately, this study argues that British concerns regarding food security directed their governance of Nova Scotia from its outset and underlay local, regional, and colonial geopolitical tensions throughout the period, including issues of allegiance in Nova Scotia.