1795 massacre - does anybody know what this is about?

[Will]

Not far from our house is a piece of granite by the side of a road, on which is a panel which reads:

"Ici fut massacreée
le 21 Juin 1795
la Famille de
Jean Baptiste le Dauphin
"Le Vengeur"
Chef Chouain
1774-1799

                        ASCM"

Does anybody know anything about this person, his family, or the massacre? My own searches have drawn a blank so far.

It appears to be in the commune of Heussé (Manche, 50, Normandy) but is right on the border with Fougerolles-du-Plessis (Mayenne, 53, Pays de Loire), so I am posting this in the Western France forum too.

[Dick Smith]

Could it have been some by-blow of the massacres in the Vendee, which continued into 1795? If he was a 'Chef Chouain' this would be very likely, as these were the peasants rebelling against the revolutionary government:

"Chouans [Norman Fr.,=owls], peasants of W France who rose against the French Revolutionary government in 1793. One of their first leaders was Jean Cottereau, traditionally nicknamed Jean Chouan, marquis de La Rouerie [John the owl, marquess of Mischief], and the Chouans supposedly used the hoot of an owl as a signal. The movement eventually merged with the contemporary rising in the Vendée. The Chouans were motivated by their opposition to specific policies of the new republican government that interfered with their way of life, including religious policy and enforcement of the conscription laws. The name Chouannerie continued to be used in reference to guerrilla warfare that lasted until Napoleon. The so-called Petite Chouannerie persisted until 1815, when Napoleon was forced to divert troops from Waterloo to quell it. Honoré de Balzac's novel Les Chouans pictures these people vividly."

Or perhaps they were just a family of Chouans who were summarily dealt with. Whatever, it sounds like a fascinating story to be uncovered. I believe there is an historical association in Mortain (I think they did the exhibition on the Battle of Mortain in the Office de Tourisme) - they might have knowledge.

[Dick Smith]

A bit more - a site I found by googling 'chouan teilleul' came up with this:

"En se mettant dans les pas des pélerins qui se rendaient au Mont-Saint-Michel (un chemin Montois - le GR22 - le traverse), ou bien dans ceux des Chouans qui, il n'y a guère plus de deux siècles, avaient fait de la région un point d'ancrage de la rebellion." which seems to imply that there was serious insurrection, or threat of, about 1795.

I also found this, which tells of problems with priests refusing to swear oaths to the Revolutionary Government in 1793-1795 in Sourdeval:

"Il y avait quatre prêtres de Sourdeval qui remplissaient des fonctions ailleurs. Guillaume Saint, né à Sourdeval, prêtre du 19 mars 1767, parti au diocèse de Paris, en 1768, était devenu quelque temps après curé de Saint-Georges-Montcoq, près Saint-Lo, au diocèse de Coutances. Patriote exalté, il y prêta serment à la Constitution civile du clergé, resta curé constitutionnel, remit ses lettres de prêtrise, en 1793. Ne se trouvant pas en sûreté dans sa paroisse, il revint, en 1794, habiter le Village-aux-Saints, où les Chouans surent le trouver. Pierre Allix, né à Sourdeval, le 13 mars 1747, prêtre en 1771, était vicaire de Saint-Barthélemy, ou il prêta serment et resta curé. Augustin-Pierre-Marie Allix, né à Sourdeval, le 26 avril 1762, prêtre en 1786, était vicaire à Saint-Georges-de-Roue1ley. Il refusa le serment et émigra. Jean-François Millet, né à Sourdeval, prêtre de 1765, ancien vicaire de Sourdeval, était parti au diocèse d'Angers, depuis 1782. Ayant refusé le serment, il revint à Sourdeval vers la fin de 1791, et ne se laissa pas entraîner par l'exemple du clergé de la paroisse. Il émigra en 1792"

All of which points to considerable religious upheaval, in which your man (and his family) would be amongst the objectors. Their deaths were 4 days after the execution of some Norman deputies who had supported the insurrection, in Paris.

[Will]

Thanks Dick, that's really fascinating. I love local history, and it's nice to come across something as interesting as this, even though it's a bit morbid. I'd heard of the Chouans, but never associated them with our area.

Plenty of scope for further searches now - thank you.

[Weedon]

[quote]Thanks Dick, that's really fascinating. I love local history, and it's nice to come across something as interesting as this, even though it's a bit morbid. I'd heard of the Chouans, but never associat...[/quote]

Further to the interesting bits supplied by DS there is a Jean Chouan museum of sorts situated on the Laval to Le Bourgneuf de Foret road with an official looking plaque on the roadside indicating it.

I say "of sorts" because the only time I attempted a visit it was closed.

It looks as if it was either a house or a newer house on the site of a previous dwelling which I, it seems mistakenly, took to be where Jean Chouan lived.

On reflection I think it is only open in the summer months, I may pay it another visit in the next few days to have another look now that the subject has come up.

Weedon (53)

[Weedon]

This warfare developped parallel to the Vendéen revolt. The most important leaders were Jean Cottereau and his brothers, Boisguy, Boulainvillier, Boishardy, Cadoudal, Antoine de Tremoille. The Chouans owe their name to the "chat-huant" whose hooting was used as a sign of rallying.
This revolt consists of three periods. The first stretching from autumn 1793 to spring 1795. They were few in number and had no logistics, they were badly organised, badly equipped, undernourished and could only lead actions of feeble proportions. The change occurred in the month of October and November 1793, when they were joined by the survivors of the Vendéen army which had just been defeated at Savenay. The Chouans organised themselves around the Vendéens, but also around smugglers no-longer in hiding, and the noble who were making their come-back in France. The English promised a landing of their troops. At the death of Robespierre in July 1794 the young republican proposes an amnesty to the rebels. It’s in spring 1795, that the Chouans sign a treaty of peace with Hoche and obtain liberty of religious worship. (People were only allowed to worship in churches that recognised the Republic.).

Making the most of this peace to arm themselves again, they waited for the landing of the emigrant troops. This happened on the 17th of June 1795, on the beaches of Carnac. The hundred thousand emigrant troops that they had been waiting for, were only ten thousand commanded by Puisaye, Hervilly and Sombreuil, but without the Princes who had abstained. An 20 000 strong army of Chouans in the command of Cadoudal, headed straight for the landing area. However, they had not counted on the presence of Hoche, who had been alerted by the convention, drove them back towards the peninsula of Quiberon. They were made prisoner on the beach of Port Haliguen. They could not go back to sea, since the swell was to heavy, preventing all vessels approaching the coast. The convention refuses to favour them and they are obliged to fight at Quiberon, Auray, Vannes. The moral of the troops is very low, the Chouans are tracked down by Hoche who makes a point of cutting them off from the peasant population, by using the political approach of religious tolerance. A year later, summer 1796, most of them have renounced the fight.

[Dick Smith]

That's really interesting. Thanks for the research, I knew a bit about the revolt in the Vendée, but this part is new to me.

[Russethouse]

Thought you may like a picture of Hoche

[tanguy]

HI,

I am french and my name is Ledauphin, I heard about the story of Jean Baptiste Le Dauphin, called "Le Vengeur" and found his entire story on the web, it is a beautiful story and I'm almost sure that this man must be an ancestor of my family, i'm doing some research on him, so could you tell me exactly where this piece of granite is, i didn't find it!

Thank you

[Will]

If you look at Google maps, about 4-5km north-east of Fougerolles-du-Plessis, on the D122 road, you will see a lake, Etang de la Hautonnière, at the junction with the D512. Just south of this lake, on the D512, is a smaller lake, with what looks like a disused mill building opposite, on the other side of the road. The stone was (as I remember it, my original post is now seven years old, so the plaque may not still be there) beside the D512, on the western side, between the junction and the smaller lake.

Hope this helps - best of luck with your research. Family history is a fascinating subject.

[Clarkkent]

 

So that's Hoche?

I always thought he looked better with the beard and Panama.

[woolybanana]

[quote user="Clarkkent"]

 

So that's Hoche?

I always thought he looked better with the beard and Panama.

[/quote]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazare_Hoche

[Clarkkent]

Sorry - bad joke. I was referring to Dick Smith's avatar. I hadn't notices the dates of the earlier postings.

[Frenchie]

http://books.google.fr/books?id=CPS8bB2e3rcC&pg=PA272&dq=jean+baptiste+le+dauphin+chouan&hl=fr&ei=PkWUTuCLKOik4gS8hMGsCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA

[LPJ]

Bonjour Tanguy,

L'histoire de ce massacre et des photos de la stèle sont présentés sur le site de découvertes patrimoniales  http://www.petit-patrimoine.com/. A la rubrique "Petits patrimoines", cliquer sur "Visiter/Rechercher", puis sélectionner la commune Fougerolles du Plessis.

Amicalement,

LPJ