Properties of the Lord 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).
The properties of the Lord of Autrey,
Pool and Blast Furnace of Autrey, Pool and furnace of Echalonge, Forest of Autrey, it's
cutters (woodcutters). What outstanding at the Baraques (huts).
For to know the properties of this seigniory, we must to consult the various census laid in the records of Besancon and among
them the one of Charles of Vergy dated Mars 15, 1427.
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It begins so: Charles of Vergy,
Lord of Autrey, tells everyone he acknowledges and declares to hold his properties from
the high and powerful prince and by inheritance: his castle of Autrey, all its walls, all
its moats and its ditches as it is made, likewise the village of Autrey with about sixty
two families who say to be free (they are allowed to trade) and have a free statue (they
are not slaves) paying to me three hundred emines of oat every year and from which eighty
emines do not pay because the wastge soils. The fairs and the markets: the fair, every
year on Saint Martin's days (November 11th) and Saint Thomas (July 3rd) the market every
Monday. Likewise the soils, the enclosure of La Borde, eighty journaux of soils with a lot
of oaks and beeches, a barn in front of it; likewise a pool between Poyans and Autrey;
likewise another pool, named Larege Pool or la Riode at Autrey. Next the village with
about six journaux of soils, fen and forest of Autrey, two thousand acres of forest; the
estate of Echalonge.
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This exposition leads us to enter
into other details about La Borde, the Pool and the furnace of Autrey, the pool and the
furnace of Echalonge, the forests and the cutters.
La Borde: it sames that this hillock
served for the construction of a small roman castle. This last people carefully chose the
height to connect the important places by signals and this mount could connect the Mont of
Auvet and the stronghold of Beaumont. The roads of this people arrived near these
constructions. Now at the base of the mont, a road passed which from Autrey, connects the
road to Besancon with the one of Beaumont. Some roman money were found in the soils of
this place.
After its ruin, this place was filled
with the brushwood. After 1095, this place was chosen to build a leper hospital which
was limited, bounded, bordered by a stone wall and hedges which still exist, from which
the name of "La Border". The leper house had two main buildings with a yard
between them: house, barns, stables, sheepfolds, cellars (thirty yards long and six yards
wide), this last still remains. The buildings were razed in 1793. The enclosure had eighty
journaux earth. Before Louis of Fabry, there were four journaux wine, and forty journaux
soil which remained uncultivated during the wars between 1636 and 1646. At the bottom of
the mont there was a reservoir where the lepers was allowed to draw water after it served
to wash the ore.
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We have read, speaking about the
castle of Autrey, it was surrounded by water coming by the Riode to the north of the
stronghold. After the ruins, one thought that a country whose the soils contains a lot of
ore which give a good iron for the sword, one must use this position; from which the
construction of the blasting furnace in 1685, improve in 1840.
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Eshalonge or Echalonge, was,
according to the chronicle of Beze, a roman house built on the hillock to the west. The
Romans did not miss this place. One thinks these buildings was pulled down by the
Ungarians or the Norsement but a part still remain in 1303. In this year, according to
Duchene, Jean of Vergy, give the town and the field of Eschalonge to Foulques of Rigny
because of the services he had rendered and he still rendered. This house was ruined
later, around 1480.
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The place between Le Vergerot and
the wood of Apremont is unusually long and wilde where several brooks arrive. The ancient
pool of Eschalonge was four miles long. Later, this pool was a part of the properties of
the King and was leased to Agnus, of Gray. This last was allowed by Charles
Quint, in June
1544 and February 1545, to establish a furnace and a mill. Indeed, the furnace was built
in 1546 and later the mill which did not remain for a long time. In the beginning of the
1700's, the canon balls (thirty six pounds each) and the canons for the arsenals of Dole
and Gray were melted down there. In 1836, a half of a canon ball was found in the wall of
the embankment.
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Forest of Autrey: The estate when Broye separated from Autrey held about 2,500 acres. It began at the place named Corvee
Rousselle, facing La Borde and ran near Fontaine a L'Ane, the spring of the
Vaulon, Collonges, the Vergerot, Poyans and Autrey with seven miles long and three miles wide.
Before 1100, the forest of Autrey was the property of Gebuins of Beaumont, Lord of Autrey.
The inhabitants of Autrey, Poyans Verfontaine,
Collonges, La Rochette, Champagne were allowed to lead their cattles (cows, oxes, goats, ewes) every day there and to cut the dead wood and take the blown down
oaks. But the Lord must give them the timber for their houses. From 1469 until 1700,
nothing changed. But, in 1706, on May 6th, a royal ordinance divided the forest: 431 acres
for Autrey and Fahy; 94 for Poyans; 18 for La Rochette; 46 for Verfontaine; 14 for
Collonges (the bernadines nuns); 9 1/4 for the Lady Richard at Champagne; 9 1/4 for the
Lady Richard at Champagne; 6 3/4 for the Vergot's owners. There were thirty acres of
timber trees taken for the inhabitants of Autrey, Fahy, Verfontaine, Vergerot, but not for
the one of Poyans who had theirs in the forest of Poyans. That we name now the forest of
Autrey had only about 200 acres, divided up from Autrey. to the center of the woods is 5
miles apart.
The forest of Autrey was sold by the
Count of Orcais to MM Guignet and Leduc. After the failure of this society, the forest
was bought by MM huot, Jobart and Lagey who gave an half to Mr. Legoux of Saint Seine.
This forest is one of the most beautiful of the country. It is one of the richest by the
ore of its soil, particularly in Mr. Petitguyot's part. Then there was a washer for the
ore.
This property is crossed by (1) the
way of Reneve, (2) by the forest way, dividing the part of Mr of Saint Seine, and the one
of the other owners, (3) in the part of Mr. Legoux, a way was laid out from
Essertenne.
Two circus of ways were planned. Their names are "Vergt" and
"Opportune" (in memory of an ancient owner).
Only a railroad comes to lake. It
would serve, not only for the workers of the washer, for the farms of the wood cutters,
but connect Poyans to Reneve, favor the farmers of Poyans who had meadows at
Reneve.
The woodcutters: We understand that
the owners of a such property wanted to have special men to work in the forest. They were
in different places: the huts of wood situated in Mr. Petitguyot's part (this part was
bought by Mr. Meuret). This place (1,500 yards to the northwest of Poyans) is named by Mr.
Beuraud Taxeneries, sometimes tascerenne, Tascenieres, Barques (Huts). In 1835, these huts
were a long rectangle shape. Among the workers, there were the cutters, the charcoal
burners. These people were wandering and their huts were there only their fixed places
where they came back from time to time. They did not pay taxes for the site, only the
young men must go to army. In 1835, there are 99 cutters. Now they are less numerous, there
were also cutters in Mr. Jobard's part.
This place was lovely and the
traveler is pleasantly surprised when he found this hamlet in this place and a statue of
the Blessed Virgin was raised in 1862, October 1st.
There were the letters P.L.C. de L.F.
in front of the statue (Pour Les Coupeurs de La Foret - For the Cutters of the Forest).
The statue was carried to Mr. Meuret's garden at Saint Seine, on June 4, 1865.
- There are two other properties of Autrey:
(1) the "Souffroide" that is a brook which divides Autrey in two parts Upstream,
there is water only when it rains. But, from the center of the village, it catches the
water of the Brook, the Riode, the Brook of Bouhans, the Brook of Nantilly, the Brook of
Passirey. It feeds the watermills of Feurg, Nantilly, Passirey, Mantoche and arrives to
the Saone River. (2) The Spring: its source is near the washing house under the house of the police constable. It is so abundant that it did
not to be emptied in 1865 in spite of the unceasing pumping..
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