The will of Marie de Rozel, 1669
No. 48 in Edith Carey's collection of transcripts, Wills and Legacies; the will of Marie's son, Charles; and distribution of the estate of her grandson, Jacques Bouillon.
I, Marie de Rozel, widow of Jacques Bouillon, having now reached old age: to the poor of the Town, 100 livres tournois. Item to the poor of St Saviours 6 l.t.. To the poor of the Vale 6 l.t. and to the poor of every [other] Parish in this Island, 3 l.t., and likewise in addition to the poor of Alderney [Orny], 3 l.t. Item to Jean Bouillon Jr., son of my son Monsieur Jean Bouillon, my gold signet I gave him long ago. Item to Jacques Bouillon, son of my son Thomas, 2 golden pistoles if he is living, and if he is not the 2 pistoles are to go back to his two sisters Marie and Colette Bouillon. Item I give to Anne Bouillon daughter of the said Monsieur Jean Bouillon 300 livres tournois and the silver beer cup1 which has no name engraved upon it. Item to her sister Thomasse Bouillon 300 l.t. and my silver beer cup marked I. B. M. Item to Marie Bouillon, wife of Michel Hopin, 50 ecus worth 150 l.t. Item to Colette Bouillon, daughter of my son Thomas, 300 l.t. and a silver wine goblet.
As for my remaining personalty, that is to say linens, flannels, beds and accoutrements, crockery, chests, brassware,2 dressers, sideboards, tables, chairs and all other household goods which I cannot list specifically, I give them to my four [grand-]daughters, that is, to Marie wife of Michel Hopin, Anne, Thomasse and Colette Bouillon, my children's daughters, to be distributed amongst them. I wish my household provisions, such wood and fuel, butter, meat, lard, beer, and flour as there is, to be distributed amongst my three [grand-]daughters who live with me, that is to say, Anne, Thomasse, and Colette Bouillon. Item, to Marie, daughter of Sieur Antoine Fautrart, 100 l.t. and the bed, bolster, and pillows I usually sleep on and my cypress-wood chest, on the condition that if she dies without heirs the said sum should revert to the heirs of my son Monsieur Jean Bouillon. Item to Elizabeth Martin my niece who is to marry my grandson Jean Bouillon, a Spanish double pistole [quadruple] I keep at my house, which is worth 44 livres tournois. Item to my sister Judith de Rozel, my best dress, my ruffs, three of my undershirts, six of my caps [?couche-chefs] and a set of sheets, and to her daughter Marthe Fautrart, wife of Sieur William de Rozel, a pistole, worth 11 l.t. Item to my nephew Sieur Jean Martin 30 l.t. to be used for a silver cup. Item to my goddaughter Marie de Sausmarez my gold ring with the death's head. Item to Judith Le Chevalier and Judith Dolbel [Dollebel] her daughter, 10 l.t. each. Item to Thomas de Rozel son of Thomas and his sister Colette de Rozel, 10 l.t. each, and to their sister Marie de Rozel 20 l.t. Item to my niece Sara wife of Collas Luce [Lusse] Junior 30 l.t. and my second-best dress. Item to whichever maidservant is living with me at the time of my death, 6 l.t. Item, to Mr Jannon, Minister of the Town Church [Pasteur] a hat worth 20 l.t. My heirs may share out the rest amongst themselves.
I also declare that I will provide mourning robes for Jean Bouillon, his sisters Anne and Thomasse, and the same to Marie and Colette Bouillon. 21st September 1669.
Signed J D Havilland. J D Sausmarez. Reg: 2nd October 1669. [From the French.]
From the same source: The will of Jean Moorhead, 1688; the will of Suzanne L'Homme, 1668. Marie's son Thomas Bouillon was a notorious trouble-making Royalist who married Colette Gibault; Colette lost her three young sisters in a terrible fire in 1634. After Thomas' death she marred Jean Le Geyt in 1652.
Will of Charles Bouillon
I, Charles Bouillon, being at present, this 26 November 1666, in good health, bequeath all my possessions to my dearly beloved wife Michelle de Rozel, with the wish that from this the Poor of this parish should be given £60 tournois. Signed: Charles Bouillon, P Jannon (Rector of the Town). Witness: P Dobrée. Registered 1669. See 'Royalists and parliamentaires,' op. cit. below.
From Edith Carey's Family Notes & Pedigrees (notebook, Library strong room, please ask a Librarian.)
Partage of the estate of the late Sr Jacques Bouillon, son of Thomas (the Royalist), incorporating the legacies of his grandfather Sr Jacques Bouillon, his uncle, Sr Charles Bouillon (1622-1669, also a Royalist), and his grandmother, Dame Marie de Rozel. Shared between Mr Michel Hopin, in right of Marie Bouillon his wife, and Elizée Roland senior, as representative of Sr Daniel Pallot junior, in right of Collette Bouillon his wife, sister and heir of the aforementioned deceased. Made this 3 September 1681. (Rentes &c, not included in the transcription.)
See Edith Carey's family tree of the Bouillons, originally Huguenots from Dinan and Le Havre, in A Bourde de la Rogerie, 'Royalistes et parliamentaires,' Report & Trans. Soc. Guern., IX (4) 1924, pp. 336 ff.
1 According to Edith Carey, this indicates a two-handled cup of the type we know as a 'christening cup.' Her article, 'Silver plate for domestic purposes, used in Guernsey before the 18th century,' published in the Transactions of the Société Guernesiase, VIII (1917) pp. 55 ff., discusses these early wills.
2 Pâlins (Guernsey French).