Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 2.djvu/430

 of Yvetot and Comtes Du Bellay, from whom descended, in the reign of Henri IV., Gilles Vautier, ecuyer, Sieur De la Granderie; he was the grandfather of Gilles, Sieur Des Essards, and his son, Jean Jacques Vautier, has been conjectured to be the father of Daniel Vautier, the refugee. Daniel, with his wife, Margaret, and a daughter, Rachel, was naturalized on 21st March 1688 (see List xv.), I would call the attention of the representatives of the family to the naturalization, on 5th March 1691, of Margaret and Mary Des Essarts, and John Des Essarts (see List xix.). The refugee, Daniel, was relieved at the French Hospital, of which Daniel Vautier, said to be his son, became a Director. There were two brothers, Daniel (the Director), and Louis. Isaac and Daniel, two sons of Daniel (the former married in 1739 Marianne Dalbiac) left no descendants, but the line was continued by Louis, whose eldest surviving son was Isaac. This was the Isaac Vautier (born 1735, died 1767), who married Elizabeth Garnault, daughter of Daniel, granddaughter of Aime Garnault, sen., and his son was Lieutenant Daniel Vautier, R.N. (born 1760, died 1813), whose death was announced thus:— “Died at Stilton, Daniel Vautier, Esq., R.N., cousin to Sir Samuel Romilly.” His surviving daughter, Harriet, was married to Samuel Golding, Esq., and his surviving son, Daniel Vautier, Esq. (born 1795, died 1831), married Susannah, daughter of J. Golding, Esq. Two of his sons are heads of families, namely, Rev. Richard Vautier, M.A., Rector of St. Mabyn and Canon of Truro (born 1821), and Joseph Garnault Vautier, Esq. (born 1824).

The only sister of Sir Samuel Romilly was Catherine, wife of Rev. John Roget, a native of Geneva; but we claim her distinguished son as a descendant of French refugees, namely, Peter Mark Roget, M.D., F.R.S., F.S.A. (born 1778, died 1869). Though ninety years of age, Dr. Roget was preparing a twentieth edition of his “Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases” at the time of his death; he was the author of one of the Bridgewater Treatises. 



The majority of families of this group did not leave France till after the Revocation, but all (with one exception). came to our shores during the reign of Louis XIV. The surname of Raboteau is connected with a hairbreadth escape and with chivalrous conduct, and it linked together the families of Chaigneau, Barré, and Lefanu; Chaigneau introduces Tardy, and Tardy brings before us Du Bedat.

Persecutions, varying in amount and intensity, according to the tempers of the officials in the districts, were the lot of the resident French Protestants after 1685, who refused to apostatize. The engrossing attention to foreign war, which was often required from the heads of government in Paris, was usually favourable to the Huguenot worshippers. When the king was negotiating peace with the Grand Alliance in 1697, it was thought opportune to draw up a Requete, or Memorial, praying for religious toleration. Monsieur Mathieu Du Bedat, late an advocate in the parliament of Paris, undertook to draft the Memorial, and the original draft which is still preserved, was brought to Ireland by his descendants.

The above-mentioned Du Bedat M.S. is endorsed by one of the Vice-Presidents of the Royal Dublin Society, thus:—

“I received this Draft of a Petition from Willm. Dubedat, Bank of Ireland, 16 December 1834.

.”

“Presented to the Royal Dublin Society on the 18 December 1834. I. B., V.P.”

A lithographed facsimile was circulated among correspondents and friends. I translated it for my second edition; but as there was a cotemporary English translation in one of the numerous and useful compilations of that time, I do not reproduce it here; the French original was printed at Paris, 12th August 1697. It is evident from an examination of the draft that M. Du Bedat dictated it to a clerk. It was dictated by an able pleader, but the very good penmanship and the very bad spelling, betray the handiwork of some clerk, whom the advocate, being forbidden as a Protestant to practise his learned profession, had found for the occasion. The pleas are familiar to my readers. What is special to its date I will quote:— 