Chauncy family travels from Montauban to Lyons
During which the baby Hugh is abducted by an innkeeper
This is the second of three posts about the travels in France of the family of my third great grandfather Philip Lamothe Snell Chauncy (1816 – 1880).
In 1877 Philip Chauncy, wrote an autobiographical memoir which he dedicated to his oldest son, William Snell Chauncy (1853 – 1903). The State Library of Victoria holds a copy.
In the memoir Philip recounted the family’s travels in France between 1821 and 1825. Although he was only young the trip made a lasting impression. Philip compiled this account in part from “A few hasty recollections” written by his father William and interspersed the narrative with some of his own recollections.
I previously transcribed the trip to Montauban in the south-west of France.
The family stayed at Montauban for just over six months from June 1821. They hired a villa and Philip’s half-sister Eunice was born there on 30 September.
Philip’s memoir continues:
While we resided at Montauban my Father travelled alone four or five hundred miles in the interior of France.
On the 2 January 1822 we left Montauban, but even now (1 Apr. /68) after an interval of more than forty six years I can well remember how quiet the house was kept when Eunice was born.
[Eunice born about Sept. /21 She was lately (1/4/68) Mrs Anderson residing as a widow with her mother in Douglas, Isle of Man.]
I also recollect the terrace in front of the house; Paul the gardener, and his dog being shot by some one & coming home wounded. Also the pond in our little porch at the back and the great fat frog which was taken out of it and cooked by our French cook, and of which I partook.
We remained five days at Bordeaux and arrived in our hired voiture at Angoulême on the 12th Jan. 1822. We put up at the house of M. Brun.
On the 24th Jany we entered our hired house No. 8 Rue Toulon, rent nine hundred francs or about £36 sterling. It was a fine large house and premises with a good garden and plenty of fruit
Angoulême is delightfully situated on a hill commanding a most beautiful and extensive Prospect of twenty or thirty miles.
The river Charente is seen at many miles distance approaching the town, which contains. A cathedral, large military college &c. &c.. Extensive and beautiful garden grounds are cultivated in the valleys beneath. It is healthy and environed with delightful and romantic walks.
We children used often to play in the Beaulieu – a fine promenade within the ramparts from the top of which we could count five roads one below the other down the side of the hill. I recollect seeing thirty thousand soldiers reviewed in the Park at Angoulême & it afterwards took them three days marching past our house.
In 1824 Angoulême contained about 22,000 inhabitants but there was only one protestant family among them besides ourselves – The Rev. M. Cassidy an Irish pluralist spending his income abroad.
[Hugh was born 4th Mar 1823, & is now (1/4/68) residing in Sydney with his wife and grown up son and daughter, Hugh & Sophia.]
It was in this town that M. Cadiôt, a young priest, having met with a Bible at a bookseller’s shop, was induced to read it, and this led to further enquiry. Hearing that my Father was a protestant he came to seek advice and instruction and eventually, after some months, publicly renounced the Roman Catholic religion. He was there expelled from house by his father and mother and subjected to such a violent persecution that he hid himself in our house for six weeks. He then became a faithful minister of Christ in the Reformed church and preached at Toulouse where one day he caught Cold through preaching in wet clothes & died.
At Angoulême we became acquainted with Lieut Pullen R.N., M. Pierre Méjanel (who in 1835 was a member of Mr. Irving‘s church in London) Mons. Maronssom, the Receiver General of the Prefecture, Mons. Desgouttes the sub. Prefect and his daughters, Professor Lhomandie and his family also his brother the Notary, and others.
Mons. Mejanel was an energetic protestant Gentleman, and he assisted my father at Angoulême with his Work “La Vérité des sainte Ecritures,” Published at Toulouse in 1824, and afterwards visited us at Mt d’Or near Lyons.
On the 5th August 1824 we left Angoulême in our hired Voiture and arrived at Lyons on the 14th Aug, the 43rd anniversary of my Father’s birthday
We passed thru’ the following towns – Rouelle [Ruelle sur Touvre] with its trout stream issuing from beneath a rocky precipitous hill on which is situated the cottage in which lived Ravaillac the assassin of Henry IV.
La Rochefoucauld a large village, – the Duc de la Rochfoucauld‘s castle is very ancient and contains some interesting pictures. One tower was said to have been erected by Julius Caesar.
We visited some remarkable caverns called “Rancoyne” [Grotte de Rancogne ] – having entered at the base of a lofty hill near the river we passed through various windings of unequal height and width, each of us carrying a candle. A stream ran thro’ one of these caves, and when we arrived towards the middle of the hills a multitude of bats surprized us by their twittering screams. As in most large caves there were some beautiful stalactites descending from the roof. After following our guide for a considerable distance we emerged from another entrance on a different side of the hill.
We continued our journey through many other towns at one of which I remember an incident which must not be omitted as being illustration of the habit of French innkeepers at that time to extort money from the English travellers. – We arrived at Aubusson on a Saturday afternoon intending to resume our journey on the following Monday. – As is usual on such occasions, my Father, before alighting, ascertained from the landlord what were his accommodation and terms.
Being satisfied with these we entered and all went well until we were prepared to start at 2 o’clock on Monday morning, when the landlord demanded about double the amount for which he had agreed. My Father put the right amount on the table & we were just about to start in our carriage, when the money was flung out at us. We had not proceeded far when my Grandmother [assume paternal grandmother Eunice Brown (1753 – 1836)] putting her head up into the cradle swinging from the roof of the coach, exclaimed ”The baby. “(Hugh) is not here.” Enquiry was made of the servants in the Cabriolet in front but sure enough the baby had been left behind. – On our return, the fat old landlady with her towering cap about, two feet high, was quietly nursing the child in the sal a manger [dining room]. – She had, in fact, watched her opportunity, and taken it out of the Coach, well knowing she would thereby cause us to return.
Having started at length with our complete number we travelled on to Villeneuve where we were stopped by a party of gendarmes at the instance of our late host’s son who had passed us on horseback. They recommended my Father to compromise the matter, but he preferred paying the whole amount claimed, under protest. My Father subsequently represented the matter to the Prefect who compelled the innkeeper to refund the whole surcharge with costs & my Father presented it to a charity.
…………………
The family continued on to Lyons and then rented a house nearby for 11 months. The account of that time and subsequent travels will be continued in a future post.
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This post was first published at https://anneyoungau.wordpress.com/2025/01/16/chauncy-family-travels-from-montauban-to-lyons/