Protestant Exiles from France/Volume 2 - Book Third - Chapter 1 - Section IV
IV. The Chevalier de Champagné, and Marie, his Wife
(née De La Rochefoucauld).
The noble family of De Robillard, which traces its pedigree back to the eleventh century, held the estate of Champagné, in the Province of Saintonge. Their title of nobility was Seigneur de Champagné. The refugees of this family were Josias de Robillard, Chevalier de Champagné, and his household; and (as was usual) they adopted their territorial designation as a surname. The Chevalier’s “chére et illustre” wife was Marie de La Rochefoucauld, daughter of Casimir, Seigneur Des Touches, who was the second son of Charles de la Rochefoucauld, Seigneur de la Rénaudie.
The daughters of the family (four in number) and three sons took refuge in England in 1687, under the charge of Madame de Champagné. Her narrative in manuscript is in the possession of Sir Erasmus Borrowes, her lineal descendant, and the following is a translation of her account of the emigration of her family in two detachments:—
“On the 10th of April 1687, my four daughters and my two youngest boys, with my cousin Mademoiselle de Maseriée, left La Rochelle. It was night. The head of a wine cask was knocked out; the wine was emptied into the sea, and they were put inside the cask. The vessel in which they sailed was only eighteen tons burthen. They paid twelve hundred francs for the passage.” [The other detachment consisted of Madame herself, her eldest son, and a maidservant; they escaped on the 3d of July; they had to walk several leagues to a secluded beach, and a boat rowed them three leagues to the friendly vessel. The lady proceeds:—] “We were put down into the hold upon a quantity of salt, and for eight days we remained there well concealed, the ship being at anchor. The vessel was searched without our being discovered. We set sail, and arrived at Falmouth eight days after, not without trepidation and much risk.”
In the same year the Chevalier de Champagné took refuge in Holland. The prospect of receiving orders from so bigoted a Papist as King James II. gave his sons a distaste for the British army, in which they might then have been enrolled. The family accordingly removed to Holland, and joined the Chevalier there. The projected descent of the Prince of Orange made another change in their plans, as the Chevalier volunteered to take part in the expedition. We again borrow his noble wife’s words:—
“My dear husband was appointed a captain, and incorporated with the troops of Monsieur de Scravemoer, a Dutch gentleman in high favour with the Prince. After being some time in England, and being present at the coronation of the King, the Duke of Schomberg went to Ireland, and with him my good husband. . . . The officers had to supply themselves with scarlet cloaks, and black velvet doublets trimmed with silver lace. He bought for himself three horses and hired two men-servants, and provided everything that was necessary for this service. Some days before the departure of the troops, he was deputed by his corps to proceed to the Court to ask for means to enable a number of officers to join the army. He obtained a giant of money, which won for him the esteem and gratitude of these poor refugees, but I fear this honour cost him a great deal of fatigue. He had to travel post in order to join the regiment, and then to embark at Chester. He fell ill at Belfast. The chaplain who attended him declares that he was never present at so touching a deathbed, nor heard more edifying things than my dear dying husband said to him. The death of my beloved husband was announced to me on the 28th of October [1689]. I never could have expected, my dear children, to have survived after such a blow, but God has supported me in a surprising manner; apparently it is that I may take care of you.”
Madame de Champagné died at Portarlington, February 14, 1730. One of her daughters, Susanne de Robillard, married the Baron Tonnay Boutonne, who left France with the Chevalier de Champagné. Their son was General the Baron de La Motte Fouqué, whom Frederick the Great admitted to his friendship, grandfather of the great German romancist and poet, who inherited and adorned the title of La Motte Fouqué.
The Chevalier’s elder surviving son was Francis Casimir de Champagné, who was born 23d December 1671.
Josias de Champagné, youngest son of the Chevalier, was born at “la maison noble de Champagné,” 13th March 1673, and in 1689 was enrolled as an ensign in La Meloniere’s regiment of French refugee infantry. He was present at the battle of the Boyne. In crossing the river he narrowly escaped a watery grave, but was taken safely to the opposite bank by a tall dragoon. His valour attracted general remark, and as a reward for conspicuous bravery, he was made an aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It is said that the Karl of Granard forthwith gave his consent to the marriage of his daughter with the young ensign, which he had previously interdicted. It is unnecessary to pronounce a decision on this romantic suggestion, it being enough to be able to say that he did marry Lady Jane Forbes, daughter of Arthur, second Earl of Granard. On the disbanding of the French regiments, he was admitted into the regular line, and became a major in the 14th Foot, called Tidcomb’s, after its colonel.
On retiring from the service, Major Champagné settled at Portarlington. His life was spent in doing good. He was beloved by his family, and a bountiful friend of his refugee neighbours, many of whom were his neighbours or connections. His account-book has already been quoted from, to tell his generosity to Madame Cavalier and her gallant husband. Here is another specimen of his dealings. He lends Mesdemoiselles de Champloriers two guineas, and supplies them with “eight car-loads of hay at 2s. 6d. per load;” he makes this note, “Miles. Champloriers pd. me two guineas against my will, but accepted of the hay.”[1] As the late Sir Erasmus Borrowes testifies, “a system of mutual aid most gracefully adorned the character of the refugees.” Major de Champagné owed money to the late husband of Madame D’Arrabin, for which she had a bond. The account-book says, "Delivered to Mrs. D’Arrabin some time in August 1715 a large burned china pounch Boull, valewed att tenn pounds, on account of what I owed to her late husband. October the 3d, 1722, she allowed me six pounds more for ye above said boull, which perfected the full interest to that day.” In 1724 she reduced the interest on the bond by £11 12s. 6d., “whether I would or not.” He died on the 2d May 1737, aged sixty-four. Lady Jane Champagné, “relict of Major Champagné, sister of the Earl of Granard,” survived till October 11, 1760.
Major Champagné’s son was the Very Rev. Arthur Champagné, Dean of Clonmacnois (February 1761), and Chaplain of the English Church of Portarlington. He was born in 1714, and dying on the 20th August 1800, was interred in the cemetery of that town. His wife was Marianne, daughter of Colonel Isaac Hamon, and their family consisted of three sons and three daughters.
Of the sons, Lieutenant-General Forbes Champagné was born 2d July 1754 — he rose to that rank in the army 25th July 1810, and died in October 1816, aged sixty two. General Sir Josias Champagné, G.C.H., was born 26th September 1755, he became a full general 19th July 1821, and died in January 1840 in his eighty-fifth year. The other son was Rev. George Champagné, Rector of Twickenham, and Canon of Windsor. The two generals appear side by side during an important period of their career. The two lieutenant-colonels of the 60th Foot in 1793 were, Forbes Champagné, 18th December, and Josias Champagné, 19th December, and they were both made Major-Generals on the same day (25th Sept. 1803). Forbes held military commands in Ireland at Armagh, Enniskillen, and Athlone. Josias became eminent as an Indian officer.
Of Dean Champagné’s daughters, Henrietta de Robillard married in 1783 Sir Erasmus Dixon Borrowes, sixth Baronet of Gilltown. Jane married in 1767 Henry, third Earl of Uxbridge, and was the mother of General the Marquis of Anglesey, K G, G.C.B., G.C.H., etc., Jane Countess of Galloway, Charlotte Countess of Enniskillen, Lady Louisa Murray, and Mary, Baroness Graves. Marianne Champagné married in 1778 Sir Charles Des Voeux, first baronet of Indiaville, son of the Rev. Anthony Vinchon Des Voeux.
*⁎* The elder Des Voeux was a Protestant Exile from France, second son of Monsieur De Bacquencourt, President of the Parliament of Rouen. He was a Roman Catholic of the Jansenist party, but the miracles at the tomb of the Abbe.. Paris justly incensed him, and timing Jansenism untenable he embraced Protestantism, and fled from France. His publication against the pretended miracles is said to be the best refutation of the Jansenist imposture. He was a French minister in Dublin in 1735 (in which year he published “A Defence of the Reformed Religion”), and afterwards of Portarlington. He was appointed on 2d November 1742, chaplain of the Carabineers or Third Horse, at that time Sackville’s regiment, afterwards Dejean’s, and this chaplaincy also he held for life. The Rev. John Peter Droz, another French refugee, had founded in Dublin “A Literary Journal,” on the model of La Roche’s “Memoirs of Literature.” Des Voeux became his coadjutor, and afterwards commenced a new series, entitled “The Compendious Library.” His great work is, “A Philosophical and Critical Essay on Ecclesiastes.” (London, 1760), which was a labour of more than ten years. It had been planned thirty years before the publication of the goodly quarto. The English diction is exceedingly creditable to a born Frenchman. The exposition arose from the use which is made in the Protestant controversy of Ecclesiastes ix. 5, to prove the unreasonableness of praying to dead saints. Marin Grosteste Desmahis, the apostate brother of De la Mothe, had denied the propriety of that inference. Des Voeux considered that Desmahis could not be thoroughly answered without an elucidation of the true design of Ecclesiastes, the method pursued by the author, and the thread of his argument. It may interest the reader to know what this industrious commentator makes of the above-mentioned formidable text, “the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.” His paraphrase is, “The dead have no sort of knowledge of what passes in this world. Their merits with respect to it are buried with them, and there is neither reward for them, nor even remembrance of them. No regard is paid to what they loved, or hated, or envied. The influence of their passions and affections over human affairs is at an end.” The commentary was translated into German by Bamberger, 4to, Halle, 1764.
Des Voeux was married to Charlotte, daughter of James Dessidin, and spent his last years in Portarlington.
- ↑ The Champagné MSS. in the possession of Sir Erasmus Borrowes, Bart., and the Papers in the “Ulster Journal,” by the late Sir Erasmus, who, if his life had been prolonged, would have printed the above-named M5S., with their valuable information concerning the families of Champagné, La Rochefoucauld, &c.