A trip to Montauban
Chauncy family travels in France
In 1877 my third great grandfather, Philip Lamothe Snell Chauncy (1816 – 1880), wrote a short autobiographical memoir which he dedicated to his oldest son, William Snell Chauncy (1853 – 1903). (The State Library of Victoria holds a copy.)
It begins with a brief sketch of Philip’s father, William Snell (Brown) Chauncy (1781 – 1845). I wrote about this part of it this last November, in ‘Philip Chauncy’s memories of his father William Snell Chauncy‘)’.
Later in the memoir Philip recounts the family’s travels in France between 1821 and 1825. Philip based this partly on “A few hasty recollections” written by his father William for Philip, who added some of his own memories. The account also quotes from letters to a Mr and Mrs Westwood. I do not know who the Westwoods were. It seems likely that they were family friends from Surrey.
Travelling for pleasure in France and other continental countries had become well-established as an amusement of wealthy Englishmen who, defying the additional cost and difficulty, sometimes took their entire families and family servants with them.
The Chauncy travelling party probably consisted of William Snell Chauncy (40), William’s mother Eunice Brown (73), William’s wife (Philip’s step mother) Anne (35), children Theresa (14), Martha (8), Philip (5), William (1). There was at least one servant.
Landing in Calais on 16 May 1821, the Chauncy family made their way to the Occitane town of Montauban near Toulouse, passing through Paris, Bourges, and Limoges, a journey of 560 miles. Travelling first by “diligence” (stage coach) and from Limoges by a ‘a very commodious and comfortable “Berlin“‘, they arrived four weeks later in Montauban on 13 June.
William Chauncy “never practiced any profession or business but derived his income from his Father”. He was a committed Protestant who studied and wrote about theology. As a Protestant he was pleased to settle in Montauban with a sizable Protestant population and an academy to train Protestant clergy. William was disapproving of the “idolatry” of the local population and the images in churches of “virgin & child attired in long roles and both crowned”. However, he enjoyed the French scenery, food, and history.
Philip begins:
I was born at Datchet in Buckinghamshire on 21 June 1816 and was the eldest son of my parents. My mother died there of milk fever on 13th March 1818, when I was twenty one months old, and the tenor of my life has probably been very different from what it would have been, had I been brought up under the care of so truly excellent a Mother as mine was. – To this day I can remember her holding out her hand to me when I was carried for the last time to see her on her death bed. I also think I remember her sister, my aunt Betsy (Mrs John [Joseph] Stowell) at Datchet, which place we left for Addlestone on the 18th of September 1818.
My Father shortly after married again – this time the daughter of an English physician, Dr. Curtis of Cowley near Uxbridge. After a residence of some two and a half years at Addlestone in Surrey, where William was born on 11 August 1820, he took us to reside in France.
On the 16th May 1821 we landed at Calais, arrived at Montauban on the 13th June and settled at the Villa d’Orly near that town, belonging to a Protestant merchant named Romagnac de Rigail on the 18th
Extract from a letter by my Father to Mr. Westwood dated 30th June 1821 from Villa d’Orly near Montauban:
We remained five days at Paris but were prevented by the frequent rains from seeing much. Thence we proceded by diligence to Bourges. – The country by Corbeil through Fontainebleau, Nemours & Montargis to Gien on the beautiful river Loire, is very fine and mostly well enclosed.
The forest of Fontainebleau exhibits for many miles the most picturesque and romantic scenery imaginable; vast piles and ranges of stupendous rocks, naked and detached, surmount the summits of the hills and intermingle in the slopes and valleys with the most lovely variety of wood and foliage in endless forms and groups.
The ascent from the Loire is an execrable road which tried us very much, and that part of the country is barren and uninteresting. Passing through Aubigny we breakfasted “a la fourchette” [literally with a fork but means a luncheon or light meal, esp. one at which eggs, meat, etc., are served] at Chapelle d’Angillon and soon after arrived at Bourges on the 26th May.
We were often much amused by the novelties observable but our enjoyment was curtailed by the severity of our coughs and colds.
As to French fare, we liked it very well, but it is now an easy thing to live a l’Anglaise, with occasional varieties in the French style.
Bourges, though a large town, is not eligibly situated for pleasure or health. It is compact and for the most part walled. No protestants except one English lady resided there. It has a beautiful cathedral and Archbishop’s palace, and gardens open to the public, an extensive and well regulated hospital within half a mile – the breakfast of the patients generally consists of a thick pottage made of spinach sweetened with sugar. We remained a week at the Inn, and after due consideration I concluded that it was not an eligible place for our residence.
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There is a confluence of too many rivers and waters, and extensive moist meadows, except one small side where stands the cathedral, palace gardens and public promenades. The walks round the ramparts are pleasant enough, but the streets are close and confined. The water is bad and fevers prevail in the winter. We met with the greatest kindness and service from a French gentleman who saw us off when we left at 5pm. The Commandant and other gentlemen tendered us much useful information, and recommended Montauban as a place of residence.
We passed through Issoudun, slept at Chateauroux, where we spent Sunday, and were kept awake the greater part of the night by the noise and merriment of the people on the Cours. The road to this place was better, the vines became more abundant, and the country was beautiful, well enclosed and covered with trees.
We once more entered the diligence, for Limoges, capital of the romantic province of Limosin. Argenton, situated between hills, first discovered to us those magnificent scenes of nature, which increased with wonderful beauty and grandeur to beyond Cahors, a town celebrated for its wine, and situated between steep precipitous hills, covered with vines.
Arriving at 6 am at Limoges, the diligence proceeded to Bordeaux and we remained to prosecute our journey as we pleased.
Being fatigued we remained four days observing the town & environs. Limoges is remarkable for its earthenware potteries, numerous churches, academy &c. &c. The streets are dirty, ill paved, and the churches filled with images – the most common being that of the virgin & child attired in long roles and both crowned. Here, after a sufficient experience of the new domestic whom we took from London, we resolved to send her back to Paris.
Nothing can exceed the beauty of the meadows, occasionally flowers of the most exquisite hues – some of our choicest flowers in England being common. At Chateauroux I gathered the purple “grape hyacinth” among the corn, and other plants new to me; the variety and beauty of the genes called “orchis” is wonderful; and there I saw the greater “scull cap”; the delicate annual “Venus’s Looking glass” is also common, and there are exquisite garden Honeysuckles and southernwood covering whole acclivities [upward slopes].
The soil around Limoges is poor and gravelly and produces only these common English plants. The Chestnut trees commenced long before we reached this and they are everywhere in abundance.
At Limoges I hired a very commodious and comfortable “Berlin” to take us to Montauban. On our arrival at Uzerch – after passing through the towns of Brive and Payrac – we determined upon remaining the night there. No language can depict the charming scenery of hills and vales. The frequent windings to the summits of lofty eminences, of roads, cut, no doubt, ages ago with infinite labor ten or twenty yards into the solid rock – the deep glades and glens beneath – the beautiful streams meandering among the slopes in a thousand directions, composed a scenery inexpressibly rich and lovely.
We often contemplated the boundless wisdom and goodness of the Creator, and expectantly look for the complete extension of that salvation which our mighty Redeemer has achieved; and which, amidst such a population as this, every person, experienced as to human depravity, must perceive to be necessary in order to assimilate His spiritual to His material creation, as at their first union.
Miserable indeed is the watched idolatry, and consequent darkness and depravity, which here prevail so generally among the lower orders.
We crossed the Dordogne, carriage mules and all, in a boat and after passing through Cahors and Caussade arrived at Montauban.
Cahors is a good sized town with a fine bridge celebrated for its antiquity. A great battle was fought here by Julius Cesar. The town is situated between steep hills and is remarkable for its good wine, as indeed has already remarked.
At Montauban we made many assiduous and attentive acquaintances through whose instrumentality we were soon enable to take a very good and capitally furnished house close to the town with about two and a half to three acres of garden and pleasure grounds for one hundred and thirty francs a month or £65 a year, for six months. It is a good place and the surrounding country vastly superior to Bourges.
The Tarn, a fine river, runs thro’ the town. There are three or four English and Irish families here and four or five thousand protestants, and an academy for ministers [La faculté de théologie de Montauban], with two or three professorships, – the only one in France except at Strasbourg. We have the friendship of the Professor of Morality and his pleasing grown up family together with that of some very respectable English and some of the richest of the inhabitants. (end of extract from letter of 30 June 1821 to Mr Westwood).
Montauban contains a population of twenty thousand and is celebrated for its Protestant Faculté or college. We are also acquainted with the Professor of Hebrew and his family and with the excellent President of the Consistory Mons. Marziels and his interesting family and with several English, Irish and Dutch residents.
The celebrated Madame de Genlis’ daughter lives with the Duc de la Force [Louis-Joseph Nompar de Caumont, 9e duc de La Force,1768 – 1838] in the neighbourhood in a state of concubinage.
The Pyrenees may be seen before rain at a distance of one hundred and fifty miles.
Albis, celebrated for giving the name to the persecuted Albigienses, is situated higher up the River.
Provisions are cheap & plentiful. The Country is flat but hills are seen in the distance. The soil is whitish and clayey. There is an extensive woollen cloth factory here. We resided at Montauban six months and fourteen days.
Extract from a letter by my Step Mother to Mrs. Westwood dated 30th June 1821.
In Paris we made no small exertions to see what was most worthy our attention. … I think you would be much pleased with the Montauban ladies. They are truly polite, easy and agreeable in their manners. They frequently come in parties of ten to sixteen to spend a friendly visit without ceremony. Among them are some English ladies, two of whom have kindly offered to be with me during my confinement. [of Eunice who was born 30 September 1821] – I expect at the end of this month. Madame Romagnac has kindly engaged an excellent doctor and nurse. I wish you and Mr Westwood could take a peep at our delightful situation we have large lemons and oranges growing before the house, & the most beautiful carnations & white grapes of the finest kind. … Yours sincerely Anne Chauncy 30th June 1821
In Montauban, the Chauncy family had quickly made good friends with the locals and fellow expatriates alike.
Though Philip was just a boy at the time, the adventures in France left an indelible mark on him. We’re lucky that the letters William and Anne sent to Mr. and Mrs. Westwood have endured, allowing us to glimpse the Chauncy family’s journey to Montauban more than 200 years later. Transcribing the letters would have brought back many memories for Philip, transporting him back to his childhood.
(This account of the Chauncy family’s travels in France will be continued in a future post)
Related posts
Philip Chauncy’s memories of his father William Snell Chauncy
T is for Theresa which quotes from Philip’s memoir of his sister and wife, Memoirs of Mrs Poole and Mrs Chauncy, with recollections of the Chauncy family’s time in France.
This post was first published at https://anneyoungau.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/chauncy-family-travels-in-france/
So cool that you have that written account from your ancestor!! I am always hoping to find stuff like that but I’m lucky to find a signature that isn’t an X hahaha