Slave Woman Threatens to Burn Her Master

Few people know the legend of how Montreal was burned to the ground in 1734. The legend has it that a black slave woman by the name of Angelique started the fire. She was a very willful woman and burnt down the city for spite. How much of this story is true, will not be known due to the torture she had to endure before she confessed under duress.

According to Afua Cooper international historian, Angelique had a white lover, by the name of Claude Thibault who was also a slave in the Du Franceville household. He goes ont to say, "We know Angélique had three children, but their paternity is unsure," Cooper says. "Were they her master's children? Women slaves were sexually vulnerable and were assaulted, especially by their owners. Regardless, the three children she gave birth to were owned by Francheville."

After the dead of Du Francheville, she became the property of his wife, Angelique's three children had died by this time as well.. It is said that Therese de Couagne, the wife of Angelique's former master beat her for years. Furthermore, at the time of the death of Francheville, Angelique was to be sold. She asked for her liberty but de Couagne refused. De Couagne felt threatened by Angelique who had allegedly vowed to burn her and so she sold Angelique to a French government official by the name of Francois-Etienne for 600 pounds of gunpowder.

In order to appease Angelique and stave off her anger, De Couagne suggested that the new owner might free her. The appeasement did not work. Angelique escaped with her lover, Thibault, and the couple was apprehended two weeks later. Angelique was returned to de Couagne and Thibault was sent to jail. When he was released from jail on April 8, 1775, the couple had not relented on their plans. He wanted to return to France and Angelique wanted to return to Portugal. They had plans to find a ship out of New England or New York to get them across the Atlantic. Angelique hated Montreal. But does that really mean she burnt down the city?
Source:
http://www.examiner.com/women-s-issues-in-montreal/slave-woman-burns-down-city