HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE-L Archives

From:
Subject: [HWE] A Family Story
Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2003 22:01:02 -0700 (PDT)

Hello Group one and all,

Have you ever wodered what family projects actually
write about when they do decide to record for posterity
the history of the clan ?

I have given some thought and argued the case that
perhaps it may assist someone who has often wish to
begin writing, but for whatever reason such a task has
not quite begun.

Well, no, I am unable to post all 30 chapters writen to
date of our clan, but I did manage to entice cousin JP,
the Huguenot researcher of our lot, to allow some of
his notes for publication. He has asked not to ridicule.

Now I assume that he is historically correct however if
you find that he is not, then now is your chance to
correct another family's history.

The "notes" as best as I can translate, are found below
:-

Leroy-Huguenot Years
"Our Huguenot ancestors of the early 14th century and
15th century, had by now decided that money, land and
legal study was all very fine, but as some of their
ancestors had been busy studying theology with some
success, it was time to try that line of occupation one
more time.

Jacques, who had been a cardinal over in Bourges for
sometime, came to visit his cousins in St Malo.

Cousin Pierre was not one to mince words and was often
known to make comment regarding the need for the
Catholic church to become a little more flexible with
doctrine. As Pierre pointed out, the family had
contributed greatly to the church lands and wealth over
the last 300 years, maybe it was time for the church to
send a few trinkets our way.

Whatever the conversation with cousin Jacques, Pierre
was not impressed and had already decided to head off
to the Sorbonne to study theology.

Hearing Cauvin (Calvin) rant and rave there, gave
Pierre some new thoughts as he actually agreed with
this young lawyer from Geneva.

With Pierre Leroy now very much a supporter of the new
Reform movement and the also new 'Calvinist' movement,
he became a member of one of the 2000 Calvinist
churches that dotted northern France by 1561. There
came a time to decide what the future of his immediate
family was to be.

The Huguenots were by now a very strong political
faction and were beginning to influence the court of
the King, which was not appreciated by the Catholic
church one little bit.

Persecution and some very heavy means were brought to
bear on these new Reformers. So much so, that Pierre,
after discussion with his extended family, took to the
English channel with all that could be loaded on a
small boat.

He and his family made their way to London and found
suitable lodgings and took up the religion with
purpose, worshipping in the crypt of Canterbury
Cathedral which had earlier been assigned for these new
'Protesters".

The remainder of the family stood firm in Bretagne and
Normandie and would take part in the eight civil wars
against the Catholics until 1598. Henry IV signed the
Edict of Nantes and all seemed to settle for a time.

Across the channel while these wars were happening,
Pierre and his children were not having it all their
own way.

The Walloons who had arrived from the region east of
Calais actually spoke a slightly different language
(Romand), had slightly differing views on Calvinism and
were mostly canal diggers.

The Huguenots, from Haute Normandie in general, were
merchants, silk weavers, linen and velvet manufacturers
and so the areas of Southampton, Kent and Wiltshire
were settled.

Some will have you believe that these Huguenots were
always godly folk. Pirating of the Spanish fleet off
Southampton was not considered evil, they were
Catholics after all.

Queen Elizabeth was not so happy with this pirating of
her baubles as she had her own pirates to take care of
that.

And so with the plague of 1583 thinning the French
Church of numbers, the Queen wanting them to move away
from the coast and then a second round of plague in
1604, the Huguenots began to move en masse to the
midland counties, only to come up against the local
'Fens" who didn't want more French folks taking their
jobs and also the Walloons who were doing very nicely
in this area.

Those Huguenots who remained in Southampton after 1604
did manage to prosper and develop larger congregations
although this expansion was slow. Our little family had
divided and either married to a very comfortable family
in Wiltshire or moved on up to Cambridgeshire.

The move north by these ancestors was worthwhile,
supported by the French Church of London all seemed
wonderful until 1685, when the London Church decided to
move even more Huguenots north to increase the numbers
of Reformers in the area.

The Walloons, who were by now well established, were
not happy. They spoke a different language, their
pastors were from the Netherlands and took offense to
these new French speaking pastors trying to give
orders. So much turmoil that eventually it turned into
a heated conflict at Norwich.

All of this was too much for our ancestors who had
longed for far off France, it was "home" afterall. And
so in 1690 the long trek by way of Belgium and Basse
Normandie began.

It had been 140 years since this line had been in
Normandie and it was time to return"
J-P Leroy - Manche (50), Normandie

No he does not write as a historian but does tell ya
good yarn which is based on fact.

Kind Regards,
Peter Leroy

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