Jacques Vieusseux

• General Notes
  • St.Antonin was never mentioned in the "Almanac of Moneys" which supposedly never missed one locality where a single goldsmith has ever worked... The scrutiny of serial B of the Departmental Records of Haute-Garonne had revealed that to obey the order of the "Cours des Monnaies" of February 9th, 1690, three goldsmiths of St-Antonin, Jacques Vieusseux, David Thouron and Pierre Cassaing had gone to Toulouse to meet Pierre de Lacombe, Lord of L'avalette, Counsellor of the King, General of the Moneys of Languedoc and Guyenne, to have their situation regularised. They declared that although they were practising without any titles, they had had shops for many years to the publics praise according to the customs of the time. By virtue of which, Pierre de Lacombe remitted mastership letters to the three of them on April 3rd, 1699.  Such is and will be St. Antonin's position, unchanged until the revolution; it will only and always depend on the judges of the Monnaie de Toulouse. If these goldsmiths happen to be inspected, it will only be by officers of the Money alone, and not accompanied by goldsmith guards from Toulouse, Montauban, Rodez or elsewhere.  Official documents reveal the presence of three goldsmiths in 1698 in St.Antonin, and seven in 1734.There were many other ones. How come that we know none of these goldsmiths, no stamp from them and from the city where they were practising? This rather surprising fact remains exceptional in Languedoc.  The reason might be in the declaration of the seven goldsmiths inspected on the 22nd November 1734 by Pierre Ducasse, other Provincial General of Moneys. He noted in his "Cayer des descentes" that although the goldsmiths had customary balances, weights and forge they do not have any letters, tables and registers. Jean Roux, Jean Thournon and Elie Mordagne have three shops in the city square and they whilst they get their raw material from their colleagues in Toulouse, they also work for them. Durand Charles, rue de La Porte-du-Pre and Pierre Thouron, rue St. Agel work in the same conditions for the masters of Montauban. Saloman Riviere, rue du Biau, executes orders for goldsmiths of Cahors and Albi who provide him with the necessay metal. Jean Vieusseux, son of M.O., rue Rouganisse, is the only one who seems to have a local clientele.  Their works must have been delivered free of any mark to the workshops they were getting their custom from. These workshops put their own stamp and the city's ones on the works. St.Antonin never intended to form a wardenship because it knew well that this would incite the wardenship of Toulouse. This could have led to the loss of the biggest customers for the hand craftsmen.  Religion played a major role for the goldsmiths to be careful and discreet. Toulouse was Catholic, St. Antonin was Protestant. With the time and the hardening of the politics which led to the revocation of the "Edict of Nantes", the people were scared. During the years 1683-1685, many people from the cities went to convert themselves, and abjure Calvin's errors. Among them were the goldsmiths Antoine Alies, the two Jacques Vieusseux, Pierre Villeneuve, Jeanne Villeneuve, who was Pierre Cassaings wife for a short time. In the only register of the commune of 6665, more than 12 00 conversions are mentioned, then, the most confirmed people in error, and the least conciliating ones tempted the perilous enterprise of running away from the kingdom. This is why we can find Marc-Antoine Mordagne in Berlin in 1695, Jacques Charles in Magdeburg in 1699, and later on, Solomiac in Geneva in 1774. The priests were obliged to mention births, marriages and deaths of their parishioners as well as the reformed people on the registers of the Parish. Those of the reformed had children registered as born not of marriage, mothers as at most their father's fiancees; or their fathers unknown or their mothers declare their children have a father who is their so-called husbands. The marriage before a notary is then declared before a priest. It is then a marriage of religionnaires (Calvinists), or a marriage of relapsed religionnaires. Husbands and wives die without receiving the sacraments, they do not even ask for it. They are often buried anywhere, in a field (Marguerite Thouron is buried in the fields; she died yester day 23rd January 1733, without receiving or asking for the sacraments of the Church age approx. 42 -AM. St-Ant. GGI0 fo 49-).  Others were buried in a cemetery intended for persons of the R.P.R.'religion, prétendue reforme ' where the heavy collegial bell of the Parish (weighing five quintaux) is never heard. On the 21st September 1721, the noble Jean-Baptiste de massa, lord of Lestang, had this bell consecrated by the priest Defennys, Parish priest and non-resident vicar. The inscription "Benedicam Dominum in omnis tempore" made by the priest should have inclined him to more ecumenicity than he had shown one month before when registering the baptism of one of the daughters of Jean Thouron and of his legitimate wife, Anne Canitrot., he had insulted her contemptibly of bastard of master Thouron, goldsmith. Such were the times.   See Pierre Vieusseux's (our direct ancestor) account of his leaving the Kingdom May 13th 1688. (Riviere - PV1688.bmp).  Abjured " l'hérésie de Calvin», 22nd August 1685. He died without having asked for the Sacraments of the Church."  AD.HG B22
    
    CATEGORY:Vieusseux

Details of Jacques' family with Jeanne Villeneuve