Hello All, Tony Fuller wrote : > Careful of this one folks, > > Dori wrote in her posting about Souplis: > > "Compulsory military service was required of every man....... > (Bertine 1988, v II 325,328) A short story about some relations way back when. Now how we came to "manage" on behalf of the local bigshot in Bretagne is a long story..lets just say he had no choice..our sword was BIG!! Anyway.. he came along one day and told our farming Leroy family that the sons just had to take up arms on his behalf. Well the older relatives, male, heard of this "demand' and went over to the Ducs house. "May I remind you that we don't do that kind of thing unless you pay a lot or hand over more land". Ah the makings of our early estates. So what has that to do with this topic ? Well folks if you came from Bretagne or some parts of Normandie there certainly was no compulsory service for some King over in the east I tell you. Fought many a war over just that subject. It was a time when Normandie and especially Bretagne were still coming to grips with the idea that united France was a good thing. Some in Bretagne still think that way. Just my 2 bobs worth Kind Regards, Peter Leroy