I wonder if anyone is familiar with the movement of Huguenots/Calvinists from Vaud(now part of Switzerland) to Piedmont in Italy and thence to England. Any written sources of information would be very much appreciated. Garth - Surrey

Hello Garth, I'm also looking for similar information on escape journeys, so I'll share with you that which I have, and hope that someone else might feel motivated to try and fill in some details. Perhaps my own family's story might give you some slight insight on how unpleasant the leaving of one's birth country would have been. I'm basing most of what follows on an article called "Mesnard (Minnaar) Family Focus" which appeared in the Huguenot Bulletin no 38, published by the Huguenot Society of South Africa. The author was not indicated, but I have reason to believe that it was written by Biebie van der Merwe. The information contained in this article, to the best of my knowledge, would have been based on Boucher's "French Speakers at the Cape"-don't quote me on that. I may not have the title correct. About circumstances regarding my own family, the Mesnards, this is what I can tell you: My ancestor, Jean Mesnard departed along with his brother-in-law, Louis Corbon (aka "Courbonne"), who was 20 years old at the time. According to the article the Courbonnes were descendants of Waldenses who had settled along the slopes of the Luberon Mountains of Provance. These Waldensian families had settled there 200 years earlier and had originally come form Dauphine and Piedmond. With Louis Courbonne, there was also his cousin, Pierre (la or le) Grange, who was 3 years his senior, and who came from Cabriere d'Aigues. Jean's family consisted of six little kids between the ages of ten, and less than one year old. Jeans family were original Waldenses who came from the Aigues valley in the foothills of the Luberon mountains, where they are said to have settled between 1470 and 1520. That tells you about the people. Concerning the journey, the article has more or less the following to report: From the Luberon they would have travelled along the mountain road between Saint Martin and Manosque, and from there along the Durace River, passing Sisteron (border of Provance and Dauphine), past Lac de Serre-Poncon, past the Italian Alps, and then into Switzerland. According to my understanding, many had to cross the Alps in mid-winter. The banished refugees were travelling in various different groups over several months. Many people most likely died during the journey as it became colder. My family must have been fortunate in having been able to cross before the real cold, but I would presume that temperatures may already have been unpleasant enough regardless. When my little group arrived in Lousanne on 15 September 1687, they would have been extremely exhausted and probably famished too. How would they have transported the little ones? One might suppose that they wouldn't easily have had the luxury of donkeys or horses or some kind of cart. Also, how did they carry food? I would presume that they may not have received much help from whatever Catholic regions why would have travelled through. That would surely have been the most critical stage of the journey. Once in Switzerland and Germany, it looks like the refugees were usually warmly received by fellow Waldensians or Huguenots. These good Samaritans often did not have the means to take care of the steady stream of refugees, but at least they offered shelter and sympathy and shared what little they had anyway. No doubt, this must have saved the lives of many. Perhaps I am only here today because some nameless soul had given the Mesnard family half a loaf of black peasant's bread somewhere along the journey. One would never know. From Lousanne the Mesnards and Courbonnes and probably some of their in-laws and friends, went to Zurich, where the article notes that Louise Corbonne had been "'distressed by the fatigue of the journey'" (Vigne, 1998:35)." They probably obtained some kind of boat passage down the Rhine river until they received Frankfurt by October. There they seem to have been assisted by yet more kind souls with generous hearts. From Frankfurt, the journey continued by boat on the Main. From Mainz they made their way via the Rhine to Rotterdam. They arrived before 23 December 1687, while, according to my understanding, many other refugees were dying behind them as they were forced to cross the Alps in winter. In some ways the most interesting part of the journey must have been crossing the mountains. Perhaps those who have more insight into what the countryside looks like would be able to enlighten us on what it must have been like. At Rotterdam the tired band of fugitives obtained passage on the China and finally sailed for a new beginning in South Africa. The rest is history. This is but a brief sketch from a faded page, torn from the ancient book of the past. It may not be much, but perhaps it can help us understand just a little better, or at least, to draw some interesting possible conclusions. Regards, Herman Labuschagne Johannesburg, South Africa -----Original Message----- From: Garth Swanson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 22 September 2003 07:41 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [HWE] Re: Flight of the Vaudois to Piedmont I wonder if anyone is familiar with the movement of Huguenots/Calvinists from Vaud(now part of Switzerland) to Piedmont in Italy and thence to England. Any written sources of information would be very much appreciated. Garth - Surrey