A

house. On the ground floor of the east wing is a large hall lighted by three lofty arched windows on either side. similar hall must have run on the north side, but it is cut up into dirty little rooms. Over these halls, to judge by the many slits of windows, ran a dormitory.

66

The Huguenots were not long in quiet possession of their seat of learning. Jacques Denian, " procureur du roi,” (crown prosecutor) in the miserable affair of Urbain Grandier, and the possedeés de Loudun," represented to Jean Laubardemont on the 18th Jan., 1635, that the Huguenot college was far more suited to the Dames Ursulines than the house they then inhabited.

Laubardemont, after examining both houses, entirely agreed with him, and after a great pretence of formalities, to which the Protestants offered strenuous objections, the sentence of expulsion was passed on the 29th of the same month.

The Huguenots, as may be expected, did not take the matter calmly. Upon which the provost of Thouars came to Loudun with a company of archers to enforce their eviction. A conflict was only averted by Laubardemont making the matter a legal one. His proceedings were approved at Paris, and on the 5th Dec. of the same year (1635) the Ursulines were put in possession of the college, without any compensation being made to the Huguenots. To the credit of Louis XIV, be it said, he made a tardy reparation of this so-called official eviction, as late as the year 1652.

Being on a visit to the town with the Queen Mother he persuaded her to make over to the Huguenots the sum of 2000 livres as a slight indemnity for the loss of their college. (Histoire des diables de Loudun, 1716, p. 259).

Loudun was a great place for Synods. There was one in 1595, when the deputies of all the churches came to Loudun to hand in their reports.

There was another in 1610 beginning on the 22nd April.
Again in 1619, one which lasted six months.

Another was convened in 1623, and began on the 13th July.

Again another, in 1631, on the 7th August, in order to discuss the persecutions which were increasing so greatly, but nothing could be done except to submit and suffer in patience.

In 1647, Dec. 12th, it was decided that a third pastor should be elected, showing that the original two were not sufficient for the care of the flock in such evil times.

There are not many pastors' names given in the Loudunois

The

annals. They were not considered of much account. "Histoire des Protestants et des Eglises Réformées du Poitou" (Page 293, Vol. III), by M. Auguste Lièvre gives a complete list.

Puinisson in 1555. Simon Brossier in 1559. Claude Soumein, sieur de Claireville, and Loys Bontemps between 1566 and 1608. Jean Fleury 1591 to 1593. Abel Bede, sieur de la Gourmandière, 1599. Nicolas D'Espinay, sieur du Parde-Nerville, who abjured protestantism at the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Daniel Couppé 1626-1637. Jacques de Brissac and Jean de Brissac, sieurs des Loges, the former 1637 and 1667; the latter 1668 and 1671. Jacques Giraud 1668-1679. Claude Fautras 1671-1673. Daniel de Superville 1683-1685. Marchand 1685, who abjured later."

Clairville signs the registers from 1566 to 1567, and was still at Loudun in 1593, for we find him in that year somewhat in disfavour with his own sect.

Henry IV's abjuration at Paris filled the Protestants at Loudun with dismay and disapproval. Clairville, who was an intimate friend of the monarch, took a more political view of the subject and tried to calm their discontent, but with no other result than to excite their suspicion as to his own integrity. In order to annoy him, they attemped to have him put on the tax-roll, from which pastors, as well as priests were exempt. This having reached the King's ears, Henry wrote back a letter to his "dear and honored friend" and discharged him from all taxation.

A continuous series of Protestant registers does not exist at Loudun, and many of those which are in the Town Hall are simply, as they state, "extracts from a copy of Protestant registers found in the house of the late M. Dumoustier, avocat du roi, from 1566 to 1608" in which a note, affixed to the end of the year 1567, indicates that all are made and signed by M. de Clairville, minister of the church "pretendue reformée at Loudun.

There is another volume containing "extracts from a Protestant register for baptisms and marriages held at Baussay, and in the keeping of Madame l'avocat du roi, begun November 15, 1578. Also another," Extracts of baptismal registers found in the house of M. l'avocat du roi of which seven years are missing, the which (extracts) are in the keeping of his widow, 1600 to 1608."

Besides these, there is a volume "Extract of registers, marriages of the reformed Protestants at Loudun from 1608

to 1644." The registers from 1644 to 1668 not being found at the "greffe" the rest of the registers placed at the "greffe are introduced into the registers of the "Martray" of the year 1693.

Finally there are 47 sheets of paper containing registers of deaths of Protestants in the town and neighbourhood of Loudun from 1736 to 1788.

Jacques La Roche Crozé, pastor at Civray, and author of many polemical writings, was born at Loudun about 1575; but his birth register was not to be found. Nothing more is known of him after 1613, but his son (or grandson) is found in Holland as a navy captain, and with a family of one son and two daughters.

The elder daughter married a Refugee, Major Pierre Raymond de Layarde, great-great-great grandfather of the writer of the present paper.

321

The Relief of the poor members of the French Churches in England.

AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE PRACTICE OF THE WALLOON OR FRENCH CHURCH AT SANDWICH (1568-72).

By W. J. C. MOENS, F.S. A., V.P.

On the occasion of the visit of the Huguenot Society to Sandwich in 1887, the late Mr. Thomas Dorman, town clerk, gave us much information from the year books of the Corporation concerning the first coming of the Stranger Refugees to that town. On the 29th June, 1561, it was ordered that John Tysar and John Gilbert, Jurats of Sandwich, should confer with Mr. Roger Manwood, Baron of the Exchequer, a native of Sandwich, to obtain authority for certain Strangers to inhabit Sandwich on certain terms. This was granted by letters patent of the Crown, dated 6 July, 1561, the Strangers to the number of twenty or twenty-five householders from those then resident in London, being bound to exercise the faculty of making Bays and Says.

These Strangers, to the number of twenty-five heads of families, arrived there before the 22nd December of the above year, their names being given in the return of the Archbishop, dated 28th November. Amongst these, chiefly of Flemish origin, is Willielmus Hornenaghel,' incorrectly copied by an English scribe for 'Houuenagle, a name so often found in the accounts of the Walloon congregation at Sandwich and later in the registers of that of Canterbury.

The total number of men, women, and children was 408, so it is clear that full advantage was taken of the indefinite term "family on this occasion. The new comers must soon have divided into two congregations, the one using the Flemish language, namely the Dutch congregation, and the other French, and termed according to the then practice, the Walloon congregation. On 12 May, 1564, the town authorities received a precept and letter from the Privy Council inquiring how many

French, taken prisoners, were within the town and their number there since the last war.

On 8 August, 1567, are mentioned "John Dobrys, Joysyna Peter[s] Slowton, Aston Vanderade, Royall de Boyes, and Cornelius de Busse, Flemings; and for that they are not of the Dutch congregation," and on 29 December following, John Awdley, Jacob Platt, John de Kyesar, Jacob van Heuchen and Edward Bayarde, "estranger confessed that they were not of the Dutch congregation, and being known to be common "dronkers" were banished from the town. It therefore appears that at first it was thought advisable that there should be but one congregation for religious purposes at Sandwich. That this was not so afterwards is certain, as shown by the original Deacon's account book for the poor of the Walloon or French Church at Sandwich, which commences in about October, 1568, and ends in February, 1572. It appears certain that many of the Walloon Strangers at Sandwich migrated to Canterbury, where a strong and numerous Church of their tongue had been established. It was considered in 1576 which were "to be passed from her Majestie and which may passe by order from their Lordships" of the Privy Council.

This very important MS., the only surviving source of information of the Sandwich Walloon Church, giving apparently all the names of the members, was presented to the Trustees of the French Hospital by Dr. Burn, the son of the late John Southerden Burn, author of that most useful work entitled "The History of the Foreign Refugees."

The Strangers at Sandwich had to enter into due bonds, the conditions being that none of them shall depart the town without licence from the mayor or his deputy. These bonds give the number of the Consistory of their Church 11 February, 1568.

The Consistory for the poor in

...

£2

on

The names of the Elders appear in the Deacons' account book in October, 1868, to have been Jan des Bonetz, Josse des Champs and Pierre Tourseel-Deacons, Mahieu Houueghele, Jacques Lernoult, Jan de la Haie, François Gunemart [?]