Lady Landlords and the Final Defence of Landlordism on Prince Edward Island: The Case of Charlotte Sulivan
Authors
Rusty Bitterman
Abstract
Most of the proprietors and politicians involved in the century-long struggle to end
landlordism on Prince Edward Island were men. By 1875, however, when legislation
compelled proprietors to sell their estates to the government, women owned some of
the Island’s largest estates. One of these, Charlotte Sulivan, fought the legislation in
the Colonial Office, the public press, and the newly established Supreme Court of
Canada. Charlotte’s activities as an Island landlord were very much in keeping with
her activities as a member of London’s elite. On Prince Edward Island, however, she
was fighting a losing battle to maintain ownership of her 66,000-acre estate.
