Sarah McLeod (1818 – 23 December 1853) is notable in the

history of Canada The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. The lands encompassing present-day Canada have been inhabited for millennia by Indigenous peoples, with d ...

for being involved in a defamation case, the Foss-Pelly scandal.

Early life

Sarah was born in

Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (), or Prince Rupert's Land (), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The right to "sole trade and commerce" over Rupert's Land was granted to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), based a ...

, i.e. the

Hudson Bay drainage basin The Hudson Bay drainage basin is the drainage basin in northern North America where surface water empties into the Hudson Bay and adjoining waters. Spanning an area of about and with a mean discharge of about , the basin is almost entirely wi ...

, part of

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

deeply involved in the fur trade. She was one of eight children of

Alexander Roderick McLeod Alexander Roderick McLeod ( 1782 – 11 June 1840) was a fur trader and explorer in British North America who began his career with the North West Company in 1802. McLeod became a trader and brigade leader with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) ...

, chief trader for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

, and a

mixed-blood The term mixed-blood in the United States and Canada has historically been described as people of multiracial backgrounds, in particular mixed European and Native American ancestry. Today, the term is often seen as pejorative. Northern Woo ...

mother (see

Marriage 'à la façon du pays' Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

and

Anglo-Métis A 19th century community of the Métis people of Canada, the Anglo-Métis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of fur traders; they typically had Scots ( Orcadian, mainland Scottish), or English fathers and Indigenous mother ...

). She grew up at

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

s in the

Mackenzie River The Mackenzie River (French: ; Slavey language, Slavey: ' èh tʃʰò literally ''big river''; Inuvialuktun: ' uːkpɑk literally ''great river'') is a river in the Canadian Canadian boreal forest, boreal forest and tundra. It forms, ...

and Columbia areas. She was sent to the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

(now part of

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

) to receive a formal education. At Red River she met

John Ballenden John Ballenden ( – 7 December 1856) was one of the Scottish fur traders that the Hudson's Bay Company recruited to administer that trade in North America. Ballenden started as an apprentice at York Factory, Rupert's Land in 1829 and was n ...

, a newly appointed Scottish accountant at

Upper Fort Garry Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in what is now central Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fort Garry ...

, whom she married in 1836. This type of mixed marriage was still considered socially acceptable at this time. The Ballendens began to raise a family. When John was named

chief factor A factor is a type of trader who receives and sells goods on commission, called factorage. A factor is a mercantile fiduciary transacting business that operates in their own name and does not disclose their principal. A factor differs from a co ...

, they returned to Red River in 1848. He was in poor health but recovering and they were active in leading the social life of the community.

Foss-Pelly scandal

In 1850, Sarah Ballenden found herself involved in a situation which became known as the Foss-Pelly scandal, characterised by Joseph James Hargrave in his 1871 history ''Red River'' as a ''

cause célèbre A ( , ; pl. ''causes célèbres'', pronounced like the singular) is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning, and heated public debate. The term is sometimes used positively for celebrated legal cases for th ...

'' (as quoted in the ''

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; ) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a collaboration between the University of Toro ...

''). In short, she was accused of an adulterous affair with a Captain Christopher Vaughan Foss. Leading the defamation campaign was a couple named Pelly. It appears that the motivation was jealousy over the social status of Sarah given her

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

heritage. A three-day trial ruled in favour of Foss and awarded heavy damages but the apparent racial tensions were brought into the open. The situation was only resolved when Eden Colvile arrived in post, and dispatched the Pelly couple, Captain Foss, and the Ballendens away from the colony. John Ballenden took a posting at

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading post built in the winter of 1824–1825. It was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was ...

, his wife being too ill from childbirth to accompany him. In 1853 the husband arranged leave in Scotland and had his nephew, Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne, accompany his family to Edinburgh. There the family was reunited briefly before Sarah Ballenden died.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Sarah 1818 births 1853 deaths Pre-Confederation Manitoba people Canadian Métis women