Protestant Exiles from France/Volume 2 - Book Third - Chapter 15 - Section I
Chapter XV.
THE CAUMONT AND LAYARD GROUP OF FAMILIES.
I. La Duchesse de la Force.
The Dues de la Force highly valued their ancient surname of Caumont. Francois de Caumont, Seigneur de Castelnau, married on 16th May 1554, Philippe, daughter of Francois de Beaupoil, Seigneur de la Force. The Seigneur de Castelnau was killed in the St. Bartholomew massacre, as was his elder son, Armand de Caumont. But the family became an illustrious ducal house through the talents and achievements of the younger son, who escaped from the massacre, and was sheltered by his relative the Baroness de Biron. This was Jacques Nompar de Caumont, Duc de la Force, Marshal and Peer of France; he married, on 9th February 1577, Charlotte de Gonthault. The Marshal’s two sons, Armand and Henri Nompar, successively succeeded to the dukedom, the former dying without issue. Henri was the grandfather of the next Duke, Jacques Nompar de Caumont, fourth Duc de La Force, whose children by his first wife, Marie de St. Simon de Courtemer, did not survive. He married, secondly, Susanne de Beringhen, who was the mother of two dukes:— (1) Henri Jacques, fifth Duke, who married Anne Marie de Beuzelin, but whose issue did not survive; (2) Armand, sixth Duke, who, in 1713, married Elizabeth Gruel, and whose son and heir was Jacques, seventh Due de la Force.
At the time of the Revocation, the heads of the family were the fourth Duke, and his second wife (née Susanne Beringhen). It was an illustrious Protestant family, but unhappily the only refugee was the Duchess. “The Duke de la Force,” says an anonymous historian, “after having his children taken away, was confined in a monastery, insomuch that at last he yielded. But no hard usage was able to overcome the constancy of my lady the Duchess, who, after having tired out the cruelty of her persecutors, obtained leave to come over into England a few days after the death of her husband in 1699. God gave him grace to repent of his weakness, and to die in the profession of the true religion.”
Under the year 1699 Oldmixon’s History chronicles that, “before the Earl of Jersey returned from his embassy in France, he obtained leave for the Duchess de la Force, a Protestant, to quit that kingdom where, upon the death of the Duke, her husband, she was thrown into a nunnery at Evreux in Normandy. She had endured fourteen years’ persecution, with invincible constancy, on account of her religion. She came over to England with the Countess of Jersey, and lived here to a very great age.” Narcissus Luttrell writes, “1699, June 10. The Bishop of London, and several eminent clergy, have been to wait on the Dutchesse d’la Force, arrived from France, where she was persecuted on account of her religion; and the princesse has given her an apartment in St. James’s house.”
Jean Marteilhe, of Bergerac, in his own autobiography of “un Protestant condamné aux galères de France, pour cause de religion,” informs us that the Chateau of La Force was near his native town, in the province of Perigord. The good Duchess’s son, the fifth Duke, had, in 1699, become a bigoted Papist, and obtained a commission to convert the Huguenots in his estates. After having tortured some of his victims to death, and compelled the survivors to utter an abjuration of their faith, he held a riotous festival in the village of La Force, and made “a bonfire of a magnificent library, composed of the pious books of the reformed religion, which his ancestors had carefully collected.” On the 25th May 1731 (says the Gentleman’s Magazine), died at her house in St. James’s Place, London, the Duchess de la Force, “grandmother of the present Duke de la Force, a Marischal and Peer of France.” From her Will it appears that in 1726 she had a house at Sunbury near London. This Will (as translated from the French by Peter St. Eloy, notary public), is so characteristic of the pious Duchess, that I give it to my readers at full length:—
“In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one only God, blessed eternally. Amen. I, underwritten, Susanne De Beringhen, Duchess Dowager of La Force, considering the great age that it has pleased God to permit me to attain to, and the weak state of health that I have laboured under for a long time, I have thought proper, since God has granted me still the free liberty of my mind, to dispose of my temporal affairs, to the end that at the time of my decease nothing may interrupt rue from the thoughts of an Eternity, which I desire to be only employed in upon that important occasion. Before all things I render to God my most humble thanks for all those graces which he has favoured me with in this world, and particularly that he has caused to be born, to be educated, and to persevere, in the Christian Protestant Reformed Religion, in which I declare I will live and die — with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, which I implore for that purpose with all my heart. I beseech heartily from this Great God, with great concern and extreme confusion, the pardon of all my great and innumerable sins, and of the criminal abuse which I have made of all his favours and of all his benefactions, desiring him with all my soul to pardon them all by his infinite merits, and to wash them entirely in the blood which His Holy Son, my only Saviour, has shed for me upon the cross, and to grant me the love of this Divine Redeemer — all the faith, all the repentance, and all the charity, which are necessary to me for to have a part in the precious fruits of his death and of his resurrection.
“I recommend to this good God, whereof the compassions are infinite and extend themselves to a thousand generations, my most dear and unfortunate children, whereof the deplorable state has always (after a bitter thought of my sins) been the subject of my greatest grief, and I beseech from him, with all the fervency I am capable of, the return of his Holy Blessing, for to bring them back into the right way, and to enlighten them with the light of his Holy Spirit, which their ancestors have sealed with their blood — to the end that they may glorify him by their conversion, and by a public profession of His Holy Religion, in which they were born and have been baptized, and to transmit this precious gift to their posterity after them. (O Lord! be my God and the God of my children. Holy Father! keep them in thy name.)
“Not having any hopes, considering the misfortune of the times, that after my decease ray ashes, until the happy resurrection, may rest near those of my most dear and most honoured lord and husband, I desire that after my decease my body may not be opened but be laid in the ground of the parish church of St. James’, where that of my dear sister Le Coq now lies, and that my burial be performed without any vain ceremony or expense, and as private as it possibly can be. I will be buried in woollen. I write this present testament with my own hand, and seal it with my seal, and I declare that what is contained therein is my last and fixed Will.
“As for and concerning my estate I dispose thereof in the manner following:— Imprimis. I give and bequeath to my most dear and only son, Armand Nompar De Caumont, Duke of La Force, all the estate in general which I have left in France, and all my right, title, and lawful interest, as well present as to come, without any exception. More, I give and bequeath to my said son, Armand De Caumont, out of the little estate with which it has pleased God to bless me in England, 3 long annuities — 2 upon the Excise of £14 sterling per annum, each Nos. 1930 & 3655 and another upon the 3700 weekly[?] of £20 sterling per annum — the 3 annuities amounting in the whole to £48 sterling per annum. Item, I give and bequeath to my said son, Armand De Caumont, 10 shares of the South Sea Company's Stock, the 10 amounting to £1000 stg., and 1 reducing at present £60 stg. per annum, but it is thought that the interest will be lowered in a short time. Item, I give and bequeath to my said son, Armand De Caumont, 800 oz. of plate, of the newest and best fashion, which I leave in England. I give to my said son, Armand De Caumont, all that is mentioned here above, upon condition only — that he shall pay to my two daughters Charlotte and Susanne Jane De Caumont, who are nuns, for their lives each a rent-charge of 200 livres tournois (French money), yearly, amounting in the whole to 400 livres for both my said daughters, which sum of 400 livres per annum shall go to the survivor of my said two daughters — after whose decease I will and order that the principal of the said rent of 400 livres shall revert to my granddaughter, Olympia De Caumont, if she is not a nun — but, in case she is, I give the said principal of the rent of 400 livres to my two grandchildren, Armand and Anthonin De Caumont. More, I give and bequeath to my son, Armand De Caumont, his picture with his family which he sent me, the picture of his father, and all the other family pictures that he shall desire, and whereof a catalogue shall be sent him. I give and bequeath to my grandson, James De Caumont, my tortoise snuff-box set in gold. I give and bequeath to my grand-daughter, Olympia De Caumont, my watch with white dial-plate, with two gold cases with the chains and gold seals that are thereto belonging. I give and bequeath to my two grandsons, twins, Armand and Anthonin De Caumont, to each ten guineas, for to buy some jewels for to remember me. I give and bequeath to my dear sister, Frances De Beringhen, £30 stg. per annum during her life and after her decease I will and order that the principal of the said sum of £30 stg. shall be remitted to the Governors and Directors of the French Hospital of the Providence for the use of the poor refugees who are maintained there. I give and bequeath to Mr. Le Blanc, minister of the little French Chapel of Sunbury, twelve guineas once paid. As concerning my servants, I have taken care to recompense them in my lifetime. I declare that all the sums which I have placed in England upon the public funds, as well in the Company as upon the Exchequer, I have placed in my maiden name, which is Susanne De Beringhen. I nominate and constitute for Executors of my present testament John De Remy De Montigny, and Mr. Philip Menard, minister of the Chapel Royal of St. James. And all the residue of the estate which I have in England (my just debts and the legacies contained in my present testament being paid) I give and bequeath to my said Executors, Messieurs Menard & Montigny.
“Done at Sunbury this 29th day of August 1726,
“(Signed)Susanne De Beringhen, Duchesse De La Force.”
Signed, sealed, and published in the presence of
René De Sauniers L’Hermitage,
Sam: Ravenel.
Proved at London by Philip Menard, clerk, and John De Remy De Montigny, executors, 2nd June 1731.
*⁎* The Beringhen family were warmly admired for their constancy under persecution. The father (who was an elder of Charenton), the mother, sons, married daughters, and daughters marriageable, were ail severely tried.