Counts of Autrey

History of D'Autrey, P.D. Mouton, 1868. Translated by Jean Louis Guichard, Autrey les Gray, France. (Please remember English is not Mr. Guichard's first language and he is translating as he learns English).

GENERAL DUTIES OF THE COUNT OF AUTREY

LORD OF AUTREY TOWARDS INHABITANTS

THE MEANS OF PUNISHMENT

1. Hugues, Count of Beaumont, Lord of Autrey was judge in this country. All the contesting between the private persons were judged by him, except the causes reserved by the Bishop, the priest, the upper lords and the king. He sentenced banishment or the death penalty. But, for all the judgments, he had to be assisted by seven persons found out enough about the laws and the customs of the country. These assessors, chosen among the people of the seigniory, heard the parties, admitted the proofs. They signed the judgments with the tribunal's president and often with them, a part of the inhabitants of the place in which was kept this sort of assizes.

This count was liable for the war and the finance in his country. He had to guard the place which was entrusted to him. He led and ordered his vassals to the war. He attended to the money and to the money of the state. He had to consider himself like the tutor and the father of the wards, the widowed women, the poor, honor the religious and respect its ministers, live in peace with the Bishop, lend him help for the general good and the public worship. Besides all this, he had to get the orders to the state, the prime ones, in his whole jurisdiction and denounce the ones who continually break them, help his inhabitants as soon as they were threatened, give shelter in his castle and support them in time of war. He had to hold the good orders, set his face against all can disturb this place, chase the robbers, punish them with heavy fines, with ashamed banishments and even by the death penalty.

The society which has always tought to be allowed to present the evil, to kill his rotten ember lest injure to corpse, had used for that two special means. The first for the lower faults was the pillory pole or post where the guilty were fastened when the judgment was read. It was also named "iron collar" because of the chains which tied the accused men. It was risen on the most popular place. At Autrey; he was at the Fontaine's House corner. There were several in the seigniory. The second means of correction was for the punishment of the major faults. That was the biggest (on the top, there was a transom under whose the death condemned were hung. The number of gibbets was a sign of the dignity of the lord. A lord owner of a castle had three gibbets, a baron, four, a count, six.)

"The Lord of Autrey and his Lady have right and authority to have four gibbets who are risen, made of stone, on the boundary of Autrey in a place named "Vendues: in direction of Saint Seine, very "Affricard oak". To understand this passage, one must call again that the way from Autrey to Saint Seine runs behind the farm of the Rente du Bois and near the road, to the north of the farm, there were a oak named "Affricard". Opposite to this oak, to west, at 200 meters (200 yards) this instrument of death was risen. It was in a place named "Champs Bergers", registered in the land register number B868 and B869. Therefore it was at the end of the country of Autrey in a high place from where it can be seen by far. Sideway, there was a house to stock the penalty instruments and received the persons who went with the condemned We find still the traces.

This sort of punishment ceased to exist until the second campaign of Louis XIV in Comte in 1678.

It remains of this gibbet, whose pillars was round, only some stones. There is one at la Rente du Bois, one atg Poyans, several are in the foundations of the Fontaine's house at Autrey, other are in the Perron's house near the pool.