Notice biographique Florentin Jacques Denis-Lagarde

Biographical notice

(1738 – 1809)

Born in 1738 in Pontrieux, second son of Pierre Denis de la Villeseran and Marguerite Jourand, Florentin Jacques Denis-Lagarde made a career of lawyer and, during all his life, counted among the notables of Paimpol. By his marriage with Marie Francoise Corouge in 1767, he was allied to an important family of sea-merchants and ship-owners, famous for two brothers of Marie Francoise, Pierre Francois, named Corouge the eldest (1749-1824), and his brother René Corouge.

From this marriage are born, in 1768 Pierre Francois Denis de Lagarde, the future "policeman of the Emperor" and in 1769 Rene Joseph Marie Denis-Lagarde who became famous through his achievement in the french Navy during the wars of the Revolution and the Empire. Two other sons of Florentin Jacques were also seamen and died at sea during the wars. One of his last sons, named Florentin, is born the 26th of June 1798 in Paimpol. After a career as Tax-Collector of the Registry Office he died in Saint Brieuc the 5th of May 1838. He had married in 1809 Zoe Bagot, daughter of Jean Louis Bagot and Francoise Anne Le Normand de la Humelaye and got a son, Augustin Pierre Marie Denis-Lagarde, born in Paimpol the 13th of July 1812, Navy Inspector, dead in 1886 in Saint Brieuc and author of some studies of numismatica and archeology. This one had, from his marriage with Mathilde Buccorelli, a son, Augustin, born in 1852, Chief-purser of the Navy, dead the 8th of June 1944, leaving two children, Augustin and a daughter, wife of Pierre Laporte. Their mother, and wife of Augustin, was named Berthe Thomas.

Being a lawyer, Florentin Jacques had access to important public offices in the town organisations of Paimpol, either before or after 1789, the year of the French Revolution. so, he was, in 1772, Justice Seneschal of Paimpol, a justice officer named by the Count of Goelo, Charles de Rohan-Soubise. During severa years he was also an eminent member of the "General", council of the town of Paimpol which was in charge of the care of the parochial budget (in this time, in France, the commune, in the present sense, did not exist and was replaced by the Parish). This council was in charge of assessment and levying of duties and taxes. The members of the "General" were the Parish Priest, the judges, a fiscal attorney and Treasurers or ancient treasurers. Each year, two new treasurers were elected or coopted, in charge of the parochial budget for the following year. From 1773 to 1780, Denis-Lagarde was this treasurer and, in 1782, he was fiscal attorney and bannister near the Parliament, offices holding with that of Royal Property District Collector. During the same time, his brother Pierre du Porzou was Seneschal of the town of Pontrieux.

In December 1789, the "Constituante" french assembly voted the law creating the communal administrations. The National committee which had been created in August 1789, didappeared and the 1st of February 1790, the Paimpol people elected its first town-council. Florentin Jacques Denis-Lagarde is elected as General Councillor and the elected mayor was his brother-in-law Pierre Francois Corouge. He sat during a year, then was obliged to choose his office of Registry Tax Collector. However, he is still counted as a notable and, the 22th of September 1793, he was elected member of the Vigilance Revolutionary Committee created by the law of the 11th of August 1792. This committee was dissolved the 18th of September 1794, a law voted the 24th of August 1794, having suppressed these committees in the town less then 8000 inhabitants. In other respects, Denis-Lagarde was, with his two brothers in law, elected, the 19th of December 1793, to the Popular Society created by the town-council but which last only to the 18th of September 1795 when all Clubs and Societies are dissolved by the law of the 23rd of August 1795.

At the moment, Denis-Lagarde had his familial home in the south apartment of the Mansion built in 1793 by Pierre Francois Corouge on the Paimpol harbour main quay. This building is nowadays classified as an historical monument and occupied by the Hotel-Restaurant "Le Repaire de Kerroch". It is here that he died, during the year 1809, leaving to his children a very confused inheriting owing to a lawsuit which opposed him during years to his brother Pierre du Porzou, in connection with an unpayed debt..