Lienard de Beaujeu, had been bought, totally undeveloped, along with seven others, shortly after the Conquest by General Gabriel Christie, an officer of Wolfe, who became Commander-in-Chief in Canada, and died in 1799.  His handsome stone Manorhouse and mill are to be seen at Chambly.  He was a connection of the Schuylers by marriage.  On his death his properties fell to his son General Napier Burton Christie, who had married the daughter of General Burton, to whom the dying Wolfe sent his last order—­to cut off the French retreat at Beauport.  Napier Burton Christie having died without issue, the eight seigniories de Bleury, Repentigny, de Lery, de Beaujeu, Chambly, Noyan, Sabrevois and Chazy passed to William Plenderleath, a natural son of Gabriel, under his will, which is discussed in the case of King vs Tunstall.

Finally, by William Plenderleath Christie’s will of 1842 and death in 1845, the Seigniory of Lacolle passed to the two sons and the grandson Gabriel, of the Reverend James Tunstall, of Montreal.  Portraits of General Christie, his wife, his son Napier, two of his brothers, and two of his children, are in the Chateau.  The good old Tunstall family, representatives of the Christies, remained the Seigneurs proprietaires of Lacolle until its sale in 1902 to the Credit Foncier.  Mrs. Hoyle, represented by her husband, early entered into dealings about the Seigniory affairs, they being residents within its limits.  One of their Terrier books begins in 1843.  After the Tunstalls became Seigneurs-proprietaires, they found it convenient to continue the arrangement, since they lived in Montreal.  The arrangement consisted in one of the singular transactions of which the old feudal laws present examples.  There were various kinds of Seigneurs.  In this case the Seigneurs-proprietaires, for a large cash sum advanced to them, gave up to Mr. Hoyle (who as we saw really acted for his wife) the entire possession of the seigniorial rights, with even the honors, avec les droits honorifiques, as Seigneur usufruitier.  A few years afterwards one sixth of the ownership was also added, making the Hoyles co-Seineurs proprietaires. (Since the moneys more strictly belonged to the Schuyler heirs, it may be said that equitably they were the real Seigneurs).  Thus the matter continued for generations, the old house being the annual scene of the quaint visits of the censitaires, until the recent sale to the Credit Foncier.  In the latter sale, the then co-seigneur, Henry Hoyle III, reserved his own lands en seigneurie, with the title of “Seigneur of Lacolle” and the permanent designation of the house as “The Manor House of Lacolle”, but of course these were merely points of sentiment.  The demesne estate at one time comprised about 2500 arpents.  Up to recently they still comprised about 1300, but are now only about 600 or 700.  The Manor, “Rockcliff Wood”, was a treasure house of old furniture,