D'Auvergne family history

D'Auvergne family This article by the Rev J A Messervy was first published in the Annual Bulletin of La Société Jersiaise in 1906. It has been translated from the original French by Mike Bisson

We say at the outset that a genealogical article on this important family is included in the Armorial of Jersey on page 56, but because it is incomplete and inaccurate on many points, and the various branches are not correctly attached to their common ancestor, it seems to us useful to make it the subject of a special study.

We do not pretend, however, to have followed all the branches: one or two cadet lines and others now extinct have been left aside.

Spelling variations

Like the majority of families the current spelling of the name - D'Auvergne - is not that which was always in use. One finds the successive forms de Auverne, Dauuerne (abbreviated Dauune), Dauverne, Dauvergne, and finally that which has been adopted for about a century.

We know the origin which has been assigned by the authors of the Armorial to the family which concerns us. It was a branch of the house of the Counts of Auvergne which was established in Jersey towards the middle of the 13th century. Without wishing to contradict this assertion, difficult to control, we limit ourselves to unquestionable information provided by the archives of the island and other official documents.

The first mention of Dauvergne of Jersey which we have found is that of Jordan de Auverne, who appears in the Assize Roll of 1309. But there is little information on the Dauvergnes in the 14th and 15th centuries, and we have not been able to extend the family tree further than Michel Dauverne, who must have been born about 1450 and probably lived in St Ouen.

His descendant, Nicolas Dauverne, was present at a sitting of the States on 19 October 1542 as one of the 'principals of each parish to assist in giving advice'. The grandson of this Nicolas, Jean Dauverne, son of Michel, was sworn in as Constable of St Ouen on 18 April 1618. He was the first of a series of nine Constables provided by this family to the parish of St Ouen in less than three centuries.

This same Jean Dauverne had for a long time been Senechal of the fief of Vinchelez de Bas, and to reward him for his good and faithful service, Elie Dumaresq, Seigneur of the fief, gave him by contract of 1618 two places for drying vraic, etc ^[1] His house was at St Ouen on the fief d'Orglandes, or south of this fief. Otherwise finds mention of Ruette au Fallu in St Ouen, on or near fief d'Orillandes, near to the home of Jean Dauverne, son of Michel. ^[2]

Royal Commission

Jean Dauverne, son of Michel, is mentioned in the report of Royal Commissioners Gardiner and Hussey (1607):

"27 August 1607, before the Commissioners, a case was pleaded initiated by Anne Whitte, of Apsom, Devon, against Michel Dauverne, of St Ouen, for the payment of three quarters of wheat rente. The plaintiff did not produce any title and relied on the testimony of the defendant and of his sons Pierre and Jean Dauverne. They having sworn on oath that the rente in question was not due, Michel Dauverne was discharged from the action". ^[3]

The same book of judgments ^[4] contains an account of a dispute between Andre Corneille, of St Ouen, and Philippe de Carteret, Attorney-General, and Elie Dumaresq, Seigneur of Orglandes, on the subject of the payment of a certain sum of rente. The Attorney-General produced a copy of an old Extente, according to which the rente in question was due to the King on the house occupied by Corneille; on the other hand, Elie Dumaresq produced the rolls of the Court of the fief d'Orglandes, dated 1519, to prove that his ancestors had been owners of the fief - on which Corneille's house was situated - for 120 years and had always held the fief court in this house.

Andre Corneille, interrogated by the Commissioners, recognised the accuracy of this assertion, after which the Commissioners judged that the house was certainly on the fief d'Orglandes and that, by consequence, Corneille had to pay the rente to the seigneur of the fief, in the absence of any other proof produced in the name of the King.

This property of Andre Corneille passed to Jean Dauverne, son of Michel, he having been made, in 1622, tenant of the inheritance of Andre Corneille, son of William, who died without heirs. ^[5]. The inheritance in question was no other than Le Marais, which still belongs today to H P D'Auvergne; elsewhere a field close to Le Marais is still called Clos de Corneille.

Jean Dauverne was the fourth son of Michel, as one sees in the contract of partage of the heirs of the latter, dated 16 May 1615. ^[6] He died in 1642 and was buried on 27 April 'the service conducted by Jacques Bandinel in the absence of Estienne La Cloche, Rector of St Ouen. ^[7] He bequeathed a cabot of wheat rent to the Charité of the Parish of St Ouen. ^[8]

Royalist Constable

His eldest son, Jean Dauverne, of Le Marais, was sworn in as Constable of St Ouen on 16 May 1644, but because he was a Royalist, he had to interrupt his functions during the Parliamentary domination from 1651 to 1660. On the Restoration of Charles II he resumed them and remained in office until his death in December 1662. ^[9] One of the younger sons of Jean Dauverne founded the branch of Dauvergne of St Helier, of which we will speak later.

Pierre Dauverne, eldest son of Michel and Marie, nee de Lecq, died, it appears, shortly after his father: his children were minors in 1615, at the time of the partage of the estate of their grandfather Michel Dauverne, of which we will speak later. This line died out in 1681-2 in the person of Elie Dauverne, grandson of Pierre. He is called Seigneur of Fontaines in an Act of February 1648-9 in the register of baptisms of St Mary. Elie Dauverne leased on 8 October 1679 to Jean Dauverne, his cousin, his homes and outbuildings, gardens and belongings on the fiefof Morville at St Ouen, for seven quarters of wheat rent.

He retained only, during his lifetime, the outer house with its little garden, which Jean Dauverne was obliged to maintain in good condition. ^[10] Elie Dauverne was among a number of victims of a shipwreck which took place on the coast of St Ouen on 1681-2, as we shall see later.

It would be interesting to know exactly where the estate of Elie Dauverne was situated because it represented the senior branch. In the first place here are some indications given by the partage of the estate of Michel Dauverne Snr, great grandfather of Elie, dated 16 May 1615:

"To the minor children of Pierre Dauverne, eldest son of Michel, were due the house and household; ^[11] the adjoining garden; Clos du Menage, the lands of Clos de la Rocque and Clos de Mahout; Vaux garden; Clos de Bouillon, to pay to the Seigneurie of St Ouen 16 cabots; Pointe du Marquand; Clos de Herivel; Camp de la Landelle; Camps du Cauf; LeButtieres; Petit CLos de Tressin, the north of Fosse Busnel; Camp des Rasquets, Camp des Querieres and Closet du Sucq. ^[12]

The majority of these areas have the same names today; they are situated one to the north of Mont Pinel, in the direction of L'Etacq, the others a little more to the south, all in the same neighbourhood.

Here is the information which we have been able to gather on the property of Elie Dauverne, great-grandson of Michel.His house was at Grantez, on the fief of Morville. ^[13] Otherwise, in a list of lands occupied by Edouard Payn, Rector of St Ouen, who married Elisabeth, ^[14] one of the daughters and co-heirs of Jean Dauverne, acquirer of the estate of Elie Dauverne, are mentioned the following: Pre du Bénéfice, the gardens and the piece of land which were Elie Dauverne's, Fosse Buesnel and Tiebaut; lands situated partly on Fief Haubert and partly Morville. ^[15]

Finally one finds in March 1717-18 that the meadows of Jacques Syvret, in his name and his wife's, and the lands of Francois Ricard, by right of his deceased wife, eldest daughter of the late Jean Dauverne, were situated in the area of L'Etacq, under La Tiebaut, on the fiefs of Morville and Vinchelez de Haut. ^[16]

In 1783 Philippe Syvret, son of Elie, is mentioned as having acquired from Edouard Ricard a field called Tiebaut, situated at St Ouen on the fief of Morville. ^[17]

It will be noticed that the name La Tiebaut appears many times in this list of lands. But it does not seem that this name was that of a building, or less than a fief, as wrongly shown by certain authors: It was solely the designation of certain fiends, situated in one locality, which is otherwise among the most arid of the whole parish of St Ouen; and there is no sign of a dwelling ever having been in this area.

Elie Dauverne's house passed, as indicated earlier, by partage to Mrs Edouard Payn, wife of the Rector of St Ouen, and later became the property of the Syvret family, from whom it passed to the late Philippe du Heaume, Constable of St Ouen. This house, called Le Gros Chesne in the 19th century, has fallen into ruin and there is no longer any trace of it. The land on which it was built was sold some years ago to the Roman Catholic Church, which has built schools.

An armorial stone, without date or initials, taken from the ruins, was placed by the father of Henry Philip d'Auvergne in a wall of the garden at Le Marais. It carries on a shield, a chevron between three towers. These carvings, very distinct 50 years ago, and now somewhat erased.

Tragedy

Pierre Dauverne, son of Pierre, son of Michel, was the uncle of the Elie Dauverne in the branch we have been discussing. His tragic destiny merits retracing. A seaman like many young Jerseymen of his era, Pierre Dauverne embarked in spring 1625 for Newfoundland. Surprised by Turkish pirates in the area surrounding Newfoundland Bank, he was taken prisoner and carried to Saales in Barbary. ^[18] There he was sold as a slave and a barbarous and greedy master submitted him to the most cruel torture to obtain a ransom. He decided to write to his family and his friends to advise them of his sad fate. His letters are ratified in the Rolls of the Royal Court; here is a copy, preceded by an Act ordering their registration. ^{[19] [20]}

"Jean Dauverne, Andre Dauverne, Jean Robin and Thomas Esnouf, relations of Pierre Dauverne, son of Pierre, we have learned from certain letters coming from the said Pierre, held captive by the Turks in the town of Saallé, by which his relations desire to use some means to free him by paying his ransom, for which he is obliged by his owner; to which they desire to employ our office if we are pleased to authorise it. By reason of which, and with the consent of the undersigned, the said Jean Dauverne and Andre Dauverne, uncle and brother of the said Pierre, are ordered to employ all diligence to free him by the most legitimate and convenient means they judge expedient, either by raising a loan against his inheritance or by some other means, following the request contained in the said letters, which are ratified in these Registers ..."

"The following was given to Jean Dauverne of Jersey in the Parish of St Ouen:

"Greetings from Salles this 7th day of June 1625. My uncle.

"After my humble greetings, and to my aunt and those in the household, without forgetting my brother and his wife, my brother Jean Robin at his wife, and all the children and also my brother Nathaniel and my sister, his wife, and his children, and also Thomas Esnouf and his wife and to my aunt Sarra Bris and to all my friends, to tell you that I am in great captivity and great misery, there is no suffering in the world which would not permit me to arrive at the ransom by the wicked renegade Le Rocquier who sold me and tormented me so that I have arrived with my owner at a 600 ecus ransom and I beg you to find the means to free me and pray that my friends will assist me because I am so tormented there is no man who could believe the suffering: they heated irons to burn me to make me agree to a ransom, the master is sick, our other men go to the sea and are in good health ... I beg you to ask my brother-in-law Nathanell to speak to the owner of the packet 'Lucsede at St Malo, or those at Plymouth to give them the commission to pay for me and on my return, God willing, I will refund them: Or do what you wish between you, my friends and my brother. Otherwise I ask you to ask my friends to pray to God for me that God will grant me the grace to die ... These evil barbarians were on the Newfoundland Bank and have taken many people. I end.

"From your servant for ever, Pierre Dauverne"

"Another letter addressed to Andre Dauvernefrom Saalles, this 22nd of June 1625.

"My dear brother, this is to let you know that we have been taken by Turkish infidels on 17 May and taken to Saalle, where we have all been sold. After I was sold the renegade Andre de la Rocque ^[21] told my owner that I had plenty of means and I would be ransomed if I endured much suffering ... that I have always had irons on both feet, and at night my hands and two legs are restrained. Having passed 15 days like this he beat me with at least 500 blows: afterwards he heated irons to burn me so that I would agree to a ransom which amounts to 350 barbarian ducats, which I must pay in November, because the merchant has given his word that he will free me after he has received letters from Flanders assuring his payment. I beseech you to ask my brother-in-law Natanell to speak to Mr James of Plymouth and to give him an assurance for the payment to the merchant ... ^[22]"

On receiving these letters the family of the captive hastened to put everything in place to free him and from 27 August 1625 Jean Dauverne, his uncle, and Andre Dauverne, his brother, sold in the name of the prisoner 12 quarters and 5 sixteenths of wheat rente for 484 Ecus. ^[23] It seems that Nathanael Le Goupil, one of his brothers-in-law, was charged with delivering the ransom to Barbary, and even though he arrived at his destination, the unfortunate prisoner was not able to have the joy of again seeing the island of his birth, because he died, without doubt worn out by the bad treatments which the barbarians inflicted on him before his ransom could be paid. This comes from a contract of 1628 which tells us, among other things, that Andre Dauverne, his brother, was his heir. ^[24]

Dauverne of Le Marais

Returning to Dauverne of Le Marais: Jean Dauverne, eldest son of Jean Dauverne, who died while Constable in 1662, was also head of his parish municipality. He held this position for a little more than ten years, and perished with his wife and several others in a shipwreck on 6 March 1681-82. Here, from a manuscript of the time belonging to H P D'Auvergne, is the story of this sad event:

"Sad and sudden accident which happened in 1680 in the Parish of St Ouen about half or three quarters of an hour after sunset. ^[25] The following people embarked from the harbour of L'Etacq in a certain Chaloupe or boat:

• Jean Dauverne, Constable and Captain Lieutenant of the seigneur of St Ouen
• Rachel Le Montay, wife of Jean Dauverne
• Francois Ricard, Centenier of Vinchelez de Bas
• Pierre Le Broc, Surveillant
• Elie Dauverne
• Philippe Dauverne, master of the vessel
• Jean Haquoil, lecteur and Constable's Officer
• Ester Bellee, wife of Jean Hacquoil
• Jean Vautier, son of Jean, son of Edouard
• Jean Hamon, son of Jean Robeli, servant of Jean Dauverne

"They embarked from the harbour of L'Etacq to catch oysters around the coast. Leaving the Demie Retraite they encountered a fairly fresh wind ... and were wrecked in open water between Pimar and La Hurette."

The following morning Esther Bellee, wife of Jean Haquoil, was found on the Val de la Mare coast. The following Saturday, 18 March 1681, Francois Ricard was found near Rue a l'Ancre by Elie Mauger and Nicodeme Vincent. On Saturday 25th Jean Vautier was found by Richard Ganier and Pierre Le Cornu and other inhabitants of the harbours. None of the others was found in Jersey or elsewhere.

Jean Dauverne and Rachel Le Montais left three orphan daughters. By the marriage of the eldest the property Le Marais passed to the Ricard family, but by a curious coincidence it returned to the Dauvergnes two generations later through the marriage, in 1758, of Jeanne Ricard and Philippe Dauvergne, representing a junior branch which will occupy us later.

St Helier branch

The St Helier branch of Dauvergne, illustrated by many distinguished officers, notably Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne, was founded by Charles Dauverne, youngest son of Jean Dauverne, Constable of St Ouen, who died in 1662. His baptism, registered at St Ouen, is also mentioned, as a notable event, in the registers of St Mary. His father's manuscript diary tells us that a son who was born at dawn on Sunday 2 February 1650-51 and was baptised the same day after the evening sermon, presented by Sir Philippe de Carteret and his wife Anne, nee Dumaresq, and was called Charles.

After having been Constable of St Ouen for several years Charles Dauvergne settled in 1696 in St Helier. Here are some proofs of this: 12 June 1697 - Charles Dauverne, of St Ouen, is settled at St Helier for more than a year; ^[26] 26 May 1722 - Jean Le Cornu, son of Pierre, was sworn in for St Ouen, replacing Charles Dauverne; ^[27] 27 March 1729 - Charles Dauverne who was a native of this parish and who held the office of Constable for several years was buried in St Helier. ^[28]

By contract of 2 May 1696 Charles Dauverne obtained from Michel Lempriere the large house of Chischeman ^[29] and dependances, situated between the house and tenament of Jean Le Geyt Snr and the land of Elie Nicolle, the said house situated on the fief of Prieur. He obtained at the same time the Pre de Pipon, situated on the fief of Meleches, all of which Sara de Carteret, mother of Michel Lempriere, had obtained on 8 October 1683 from Jean Le Geyt. These properties were leased to Charles Dauverne for 23 quarters of wheat rente. ^[30] One sees from another source that Sara de Carteret had obtained this house from Jean Le Geyt, son of Jacques, who obtained it in 1659 from Louis Cricheman, son of Henry, who had the right in 1628 of Suzanne Faultrart, wife of Pierre Clement. ^[31]

Charles Dauverne had previously acquired by contract of 11 April 1696 a house and garden in St Helier, on the fief of Prieur, between the house of Thomas Le Vavasseur dit Durell and that of Josue Guille, for the priceof 4206 livres tournois 'in principal and wine', etc ^[32]. Finally he possessed, in 1718, lands situated at the end of the public road called Rue de Rouge Bouillon, near those of Jean Le Gallais, son of Francois, and Judith Romeril. ^[33]

Charles Dauverne, who had no children from his first marriage, married for the second time to one of the daughters ^[34] of Jurat James Corbet, and at an already advanced age, had three sons - Corbet, who died young; Charles, who became Captain in the Royal Artillery and was the father of Admiral Philippe D'Auvergne; ^[35] and James, who became General James d'Auvergne.

These two children, Charles and James, were aged only five and three, respectively, when their father died in 1729. They both had a distinguished military career, of which one can read the details in the interesting work of Henry Kirke, From the Gun Room to the Throne. The author does not write, however, of the services rendered by James Dauvergne to the island of his birth. While he was living in England he was on several occasions chosen by the States of Jersey as their Deputy to plead the cause of his compatriots before the Privy Council. He succeeded notably in obtaining from the Government in 1758 the sending of 12 cannons for the defence of the island. ^[36] To show him their recognition of the services rendered to the public, the States offered him a piece of silver with the arms of the island. ^[37]

General James d'Auvergne died in 1799 at Southampton, where he had exercised the highest municipal functions. His elder brother Charles died in St Helier in 1797. One can see in the Parish Church a monument erected to his memory and that of his second wife, Elisabeth Bandinel.

Philippe d'Auvergne, 'Duke of Bouillon'

Philippe d'Auvergne, later Duke of Bouillon ^[38], was the only surviving son of the first marriage of Charles Dauvergne with one of the daughters of the second Lieut-Bailiff Le Geyt. Here is a copy of his act of baptism:"Philippe, son of Charles Dauvergne and Elizabeth Le Geyt, his wife, was baptised on the 13th day of November 1754, Philippe Le Geyt, uncle, godfather and Elizabeth Dauvergne, his wife, godmother. ^[39] Mrs Charles Dauvergne, nee Le Geyt, only survived two weeks after the baptism of this son, destined to rise one day to such a high rank in the Royal Navy, and to see himself chosen as the adopted son and heir presumptive of the Duc de Bouillon, head of the illustrious house of Tour d'Auvergne.

We have no intention of retracing here in detail this strange and extraordinary career, which alternated between success and reverses, dazzling glory and unmerited misfortune. An officer of incontestable merit, enjoying the esteem and confidence of his government, incorruptible patriot who always placed the interests of his country above everything else, Philippe d'Auvergne was, without contradiction, one of the men of our little country to be most proud of. To those who would wish to know more of the life of our illustrious co-citizen, we recommend vividly to read the captivating biography of the Admiral - From the Gun Room to the Throne cited above. ^[40]

Property transactions

However, we give some notes about the Admiral which have not, we believe, yet been published. Here first is a resume of some of the principal transactions he made in Jersey:

• 10 August 1799, Philippe Thoreau, representing His Serene Highness Philippe d'Auvergne, Prince of Bouillon, acquired from Charles Le Hardy the fiefs of La Hougue and Fosse Astelle, situated at Grouville, for the sum of 2200 pounds. ^[41]

• 17 April 1802, representing His serene Highness Philippe d'Auvergne, etc, obvained from Francois Marett, heir of Francois Marett, his uncle, the house called Belvedere, and presently Bagatelle, built by the late Francois on the plot of land called Vallee Collet, acquired from Louis Nathanael Jean Brohier for the sum of 100 quarters of wheat rente. ^[42]

• 25 October 1800, the representative of SAS Philippe d'Auvergne, etc, leased to Michel Le Gros, son of Elie Jean, the grand house, offices and garden which belonged to the late Charles Dauvergne, father of the Duc de Bouillon, situated in the town and Parish of St Helier, on the fief Prieur and bordered on the south by Rue de Derriere, and on the north on the road Les Hemies; ^[43] the lease made for the price of 60 quarters of wheat rente. ^[44]

Prince's Tower

It is known that Philippe d'Auvergne also owned the edifice known as La Hougue Bie, with adjoining land, all situated in the parish of Grouville, on fief de la Hougue. ^[45] He had constructed, as is known, the tower which still bears the name Prince's Tower. The Duke of Bouillon lived in Jersey from 1794 to about 1812 in the role of Commandant of the Squadron charged with defending the Channel Islands. Here is a summary of some notes, more or less unpublished, about this period in his career.

• 1808: Francois Marett was employed in 1795 and 1796 by Philippe Dauvergne as magazine guard of the Royal Navy stationed in the island, claimed from Dauvergne his salary of 2 livres 8 sols a day. ^[46]

• 22 March 1794: On this day a letter from the Duc de Bouillon was communicated to the States relating to the convoys of merchant ships. We recall that several days before the enemies, as they are called in the Rolls of the States, were assembled on the neighbouring coasts intending to descend on Jersey.

• 10 June 1794: A new letter from the Duc de Bouillon, announcing that he had arranged for a flotilla to be sent to defend the coasts. ^[47]

• 11 June 1796: Mention of the slanders faced by the Duc de Bouillon, Commander of the naval forces in this island, written from Mont Orgueil Castle. ^[48]

• 23 May 1812: The States voted thanks to the Duc de Bouillon who was going to leave the command of the squadron charged with the protection from the sea of this island. Rear-Admiral Brown succeeded him. Response of the Duc de Bouillon, signed P Dauvergne, de Bouillon, Vice-Admiral, and addressed to 'The Worshipful Sir John Dumaresq, President of the Assembly of the States, etc'. ^[49]

One does not ignore that Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne had to sustain a long and costly case to validate his rights to the succession of his adopted father the Duke of Bouillon. Also, it should not be surprising that after the decision in 1815 of the Congress of Vienna, which shattered all his hopes, he stated that all his personal fortune had been swallowed up.

Death

On his death in 1816 a deficit of £7,000 sterling was found in his estate. An agreement was made between his creditors and entered in the Rolls of the Court on 19 April 1817. ^{[50] [51]} His properties were put up for sale in lots and passed to different buyers. On 28 May 1817 Pierre Poignand bought at auction for 19 quarters of wheat rente the fourth lot composed of the fiefs of La Hougue and Fosse Astelle.

Bagatelle passed to Thomas Le Breton, then Lieut-Bailiff, who later became Sir Thomas Le Breton, Bailiff. It was he who built the dwelling which bears the name.

Some items of art, paintings and pieces of silver having belonged to the Admiral seem to have passed to his half-sisters, Elizabeth D'Auvergne and Mrs Le Gros, the half-brothers of the Admiral having left no successors. On the death of these two ladies the items in question were inherited, it seems, by Mrs Nicholson, whose mother, Mrs Dupre, wife of the Dean, was first cousin of Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne through the Le Geyts.

A silver statue, among other precious objects, having belonged to the Admiral, is today in the possession of William d'Auvergne Abbot, of Bloemfontein, grandson of Mrs Nicholson, nee Dupre. This statue is described by Mr Abbot:

"Silver figure of Britannia (sitting) holding sceptre in left hand and laurel wreath in right hand. The figure of Britannia is 14 inches high on a three-cornered pedestal 4 inches high. Total height 18 inches. The statue weighs 400 ounces; it bears the d'Auvergne coat of arms on the right side and a lion (in gold) on the left side."

Here is the inscription engraved on this statue:

"Island of Guernsey, December 1811. Ex Vot. The principal merchants and other respectable inhabitants of this island present to the Vice-Admiral HH Philippe d'Auvergne, Prince of Bouillon, this testimonial of their esteem and of the grateful and unequivocal sense they entertain of the zeal and activity which HH has manifested in the protection of their trade and interests, as Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships on this station."

Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne had from a liaison with a French woman, three children whom he recognised and brought up at Bagatelle. His only son, Philippe d'Auvergne, Midshipman RN, died during the life of his father in his 17th year on board HMS L'Africaine in the East Indies.

The eldest daughter of the Admiral, Mary Anne Charlotte d'Auvergne, born in 1794, married Captain Prescott, who became Admiral Sir Henry Prescott and died in 1874. She was married at Bagatelle in July 1815 and died in 1868. Anne, the Admiral's younger daughter, married Admiral John Aplin and they had three sons.^[52]

Corbet James Dauvergne

It is convenient to say a few words about Corbet James Dauvergne, half-brother of Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne. He followed the same career as his brother and became a Captain in the Royal Navy. Names Master of the Hunt in Jersey by Royal Commission of 5 September 1801, he lived for some time in the parish of Grouville - perhaps at Auvergne Tower ^[53], built by his brother - because we find him as a member of the Roads Committee of this parish in 1802. Some years later he became the first British Governor of Heligoland, in the North Sea.

In this post of trust he must have gained the esteem and affection of those administrators who, in 1908, offered him a magnificent silver teapot with the arms of their island. This precious souvenir is today in the possession of William Abbot, mentioned above, and carries the following inscription:

"As a token of their regard, affection and gratitude, presented by the Magistrates, Quartermasters and Aldermen of Heligoland to Corbet James d'Auvergne Esq, Captain of the Royal Navy, the first and dearly loved Governor under the British Protection. February 1808."

Corbet James d'Auvergne was, we believe, the last Master of the Hunt in Jersey. On 20 November 1820 he appointed Philippe Journeaux as Deputy Master. He settled in England and died without direct heirs in 1828.

St Ouen branch

It remains for us to speak of the branch still represented today at St Ouen, and which descends, as do the preceeding, from Jean Dauverne, Constable of St Ouen in 1618. ^[54]

It has counted among its members the Rev Edouard Dauverne, a distinguished historian of the campaigns of William III in Flanders, etc. He was baptised on 17 February 1664-65 and presented at baptism by Edouard de Carteret, 'cup bearer to His Royal Highness and Anne Dumaresq, widow of Philippe de Carteret, in his lifetime Seigneur of St Ouen and Knight of her Majesty'.

After studying at Oxford University, he became Rector of St Brelade in 1693, as shown in the registers of this parish. He does not seem to have lived for long in his benefice becauseby 1694 he had accompanied King William in Holland as Chaplain of the Scots Guards Regiment. In 1700 he was there again in company with his compatriot and colleague, the Rev Philippe Falle, historian of Jersey. ^[55]

In 1701 he was appointed Rector of Great Hallingbury, Essex, where he died in 1737. For a list of his works we refer the reader to the Dictionary of National Biography. We say also in passing that the author of the article devoted to him in this work confuses the Rev Edouard Dauvergne with his nephew Edouard Dauvergne, of St Ouen: It was he, and not his uncle, who married one of the daughters of Lieut-Bailiff Le Geyt.

We do not know who the Rev Edouard Dauvergne married. It is nevertheless possible that he was the father of Barrington Dauvergne, of Enfield, Middlesex, mentioned in the Rolls of the Royal Court in 1766. ^[56]

Amice Dauvergne, younger brother of the Rev Edouard, settled in St Helier, no doubt as a merchant. On 6 May 1727 he claimed in Court 53 pounds tournois 13 sols from Jean Nicolle and Francoise Machon, his wife, 'for merchandise supplied to make an outfit for the said wife for the funeral of her father'. ^[57]

Amice Dauvergne was the owner of vines probably in the town of St Helier, and it is curious to note that on 11 September 1736 several individuals were presented in Court charged with stealing grapes from these vines. ^[58]

Constables of St Ouen

Philippe Dauvergne, elder brother of Edouard and Amice, was Constable of his parish for many years, as had his father Philippe. That just leaves one son, Edouard, who was sworn in a Constable of St Ouen on 16 February 1729-30. On 5 August 1740 he was sworn in as an Advocate of the Royal Court, by virtue of a letter from the Bailiff, Lord Carteret, to his Lieutenant. He died in his 45th year.

His eldest son, Philippe, married Miss Ricard, eldest daughter and principal heir of the Receiver-General and Jurat Edouard Ricard, and granddaughter of Rachel Dauvergne, who inherited Le Marais in 1682. That is how Le Marais returned to the Dauvergnes. We note in passing that this Philippe Dauvergne was first cousin of Admiral Philippe Dauvergne, because their mothers were sisters. ^[59]

The eldest son of Philippe Dauvergne and Jeanne Ricard, also called Philippe, was sworn in as Constable of St Ouen on 21 May 1799 and elected Jurat on 12 August 1815. He was seigneur of several fiefs, among others that of Lecq, which he acquired from Thomas Lempriere by contract of 9 December 1809, for 8100 King's silver pounds. ^[60] The current representative of this line is his grandson Henry Philippe d'Auvergne, who was Constable of St Ouen for nine years.

Slander

We though it would be interesting to publish here an Act of the States of 13 July 1796 by which the Assembly paid homage to the loyalty and patriotism of Admiral Philip Dauvergne, who had been the object of unworthy slander:

"The Commander in Chief having represented to this Assembly that there is spreading in public a false, malicious and atrocious rumour tending to charge with treason the Prince of Bouillon, commander of His Majesty's naval forces in this island and placed elsewhere by the confidence of the Government in a situation of great responsibility.

"The States, envisaging that this slander could affect His Majesty's service and the wellbeing of the homeland, as well as the reputation of his Serene Highness, if it is not challenged; and perfectly convinced notonly of his loyalty and of his attachment to the British Government, but also the benevolence and zeal which he has manifested on all occasions for the security of this island, give him eagerly and unanimously this public support; and offer a reward of a thousand pounds to whoever discovers the author of this infamous imputation so that he may be brought to justice.

"As it appears that these slanderous reports have reached the island of Guernsey, the Commander in Chief is required to transmit this act to the Commander in Chief of that island, to erase the impressions that such report can have made there. All will be printed, published and displayed." ^[61]

• Family tree^[62]

1. ↑ Registre des Contrats, 5/186
2. ↑ RC 1626-7, 7/386
3. ↑ Book of Judgments of the Commissioners, Case 101
4. ↑ Page 80
5. ↑ RC 6/59
6. ↑ RC 4/250
7. ↑ Registers of St Ouen
8. ↑ Ex 46, May 1644
9. ↑ The last day of December Jean Dauverne, Constable, was buried with the service conducted by Jean de la Place, in the absence of Pierre de la Place, his brother, our Rector, with the reading at the tomb of the Book of Common Prayers of the Church of England, and buried in the church. It should be noted that during the Parliamentary domination the Presbyterian Church had replaced the Anglican regime in many places, but this was reinstated at the Restoration of Charles II
10. ↑ RC 22/104
11. ↑ The contracts of partage give no clue to which fiefs these properties were on
12. ↑ RC 5/250
13. ↑ H 24/18
14. ↑ See Orders in Council Vol 3, pages 7-10 and 27-29 for the different suits between Elisabeth Dauverne, widow of Edouard Payn, and Nicolas Le Marquand and others, on the subject of a fountain and a lavoir, which she owned, at Ruettes, Grantez, on the fief of Morville. It is possibly because he was the owner of this fountain that Elie Dauverne was known as Seigneur des fontaines, as we have said
15. ↑ Ex 82, 10 May 1712
16. ↑ Ex 85
17. ↑ H36, after 2 October
18. ↑ Saales, or Salé, a town and port of Marocco, in former times a renowned haunt of pirates. The case of Pierre Dauverne was not unique. Before and after him other Jerseymen had the same fate. Acts of the States 1646, 1683, etc
19. ↑ While respecting the spelling of the time, we have replaced most abbreviations by their equivalents.
20. ↑ The documents are written in old French. It proved difficult to translate them, but we have tried to produce as literal a translation as possible - Editor
21. ↑ Earlier Pierre Dauvergne called him 'Le Rocquier'; the forms de la Rocque and Le Rocquier were equivalent and le Menage du Rocher or du Rocquier, in Trinity, was eimply that of the de la Rocques of that parish
22. ↑ The letter continues in the same vein, referring to other captives from Plymouth and the death of the ship's master
23. ↑ RC 7/156
24. ↑ RC 8/94
25. ↑ It is stated several pages later in the same manuscript that the shipwreck occurred on Thursday 6 March 1681-82
26. ↑ Ex 74
27. ↑ Ex 87
28. ↑ St Ouen Register
29. ↑ Crischeman
30. ↑ Reg 26/101
31. ↑ Catel 39, p251
32. ↑ Reg 26/119
33. ↑ H 23/316
34. ↑ She was only aged 22, according to a contemporary manuscript
35. ↑ His serene Highness Philippe Dauvergne, Prince of Bouillon, son and principal heir of the late Charles Dauvergne, who was the son and principal heir of the late Charles Dauverne, son of Jean - Catel 40/355
36. ↑ O in C, Vol 333,pages 472-475
37. ↑ States 6, 5 June 1758
38. ↑ The article refers to Philippe d'Auvergne as Duc de Bouillon, His Serene Highness and Admiral, and all these titles are to be found in official documents (see below for some examples). Whatever he may have called himself during his later years in Jersey, and others may have concurred with, he was never Duke, having been denied the succession to his adopted father by Europe's highest constitutional courts. He could correctly have claimed to be Prince de Bouillon as he was identified within the Duchy after being declared the Duke's successor, and the tower he had built at La Hougue Bie was always known as Prince's Tower. His naval rank was Vice-Admiral, so he did not reach the highest level within the service, as claimed in some biographies
39. ↑ St Helier Registers
40. ↑ Or read three articles about him linked from the D'Auvergne family page of this website
41. ↑ Reg 88/159
42. ↑ Reg 94/128
43. ↑ Now Le Geyt Street
44. ↑ Reg 93/22
45. ↑ See defend of land of 23 May 1815, Catel 41
46. ↑ Ex 142, July 1808
47. ↑ States, Book 9
48. ↑ States, Book 9
49. ↑ States, Book 10
50. ↑ Ex 148
51. ↑ On this date Edouard Dauvergne, his brother, who in 1816 obtained benefit of inventory, was named his heir. Corbet-James Dauvergne, his other brother, renounced the succession
52. ↑ The original article here included a list of the descendants of the two daughters, which have been omitted for reasons of space and relevance to a D'Auvergne article
53. ↑ Usually called Prince's Tower - see earlier
54. ↑ The Armorial wrongly shows this branch as descending in the male line from Jean Dauverne and Rachel Le Montais, whereas it descends directly from an uncle of this Jean. See, for proof of this, Heritage 18, 17 January 1694-95; H 19, 27 April 1699, and Catel 31/217
55. ↑ States 4
56. ↑ Ex 108, January 1766
57. ↑ Ex 90
58. ↑ Ex 94
59. ↑ Daughters of Lieut-Bailiff Le Geyt
60. ↑ Registre 108/220
61. ↑ Unfortunately the writer gives no indication of the nature of the rumour which invoked such a dramatic response from the States
62. ↑ This is the family tree which accompanied the article, with a few minor differences, mainly in the notes