1 Family Members

Father: Jean de Paul (Abelly I:35 [English Edition]; Coste 1:6 [English Edition]), William de Paul (Collet p.9 [English Edition]); Jean or William (Maynard I:1 [French Edition], Roman 29 [English Edition]).

Mother: Bertrande de Moras (all biographers).

Brothers and Sisters:

Jean: It seems that after he married he lived in Lachine or Leschine, on a property next to Ranquine, the other side of the Bouglose road. This land was more important that Ranquine since many of these tracts of land were the feudal privilege of the Barony of Pouy. The de Paul family had a direct and lifetime lease on this land. Jean extended these land holdings and left them as an inheritance to his son who was also named Jean. We do not know the name of his wife, but his sons were named Jean, Pierre and perhaps another son named Francois, who later became a priest in Capbreton. Jean died in 1630 (CCD:I:15; XIIIa:76; Serpette, 10.33 [Translator’s Note: I do not have access to this work so I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text]; Roman, p.29-30 [English edition]).

Bernard and Gayon: Both of these brothers lived in the house of their parents and died there. It seems they never married. Vincent, in his will of 1630 “gave and bequeathed… each and every one of his paternal and maternal possessions” and paid his debts, but he gave the property to his nephews. He also gave them two-thirds of the land of Messergent (located in Saint-Paul parish next to Dax) which he bought back from “the heirs of the late Messire Pierre de la Maignere… which was previously bought from Gregoire, husband of Marie de Paul, sister of Vincent de Paul (CCD:XIIIa:76, 99-100).

Marie: Married Jean Digrand (of the house of Paillole) and lived next to the church in Pouy. Her husband died on September 4, 1626 and she was left to care for one daughter and several sons. One of them was named Thomas and he was given part of the Messergent land located in Saint-Paul’s parish near Dax (CCD:XIIIa:76, 99-100).

Marie-Claudine: Married Gregory Delartigue. They lived in the Saint Paul’s parish near Dax. They had to sell the house, the woods and the land of Messergent. In 1627 Vince bought back this land and gave her half of it. It appears to be a member of this family (one of Vincent’s nephew’s) who in 1630 went to Paris to visit his uncle and it was also a member of this family who testified in 1706 during the Beatification Process of Vincent de Paul (CCD:XIIIa:76,-99-100;.Seroette, 14 [Translator’s Note: I do not have access to this work so I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text]).

Nephews:

Jean de Paul: had a son, Louis who worked the lands of Ranquine (Serpette, 10.n. and 33 [Translator’s Note: I do not have access to this work so I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text]).

Pierre de Paul: said to be from Leschine (CCD:I:16).

Francois de Paul: a priest in Capbreton who died in 1678 (CCD:I:16, note 8).

Thomas Daigrand de Paul: of the house of Paillote (CCD:XIIIa:99-100).

Uncles:

Entienne de Paul: was in charge of the Hosptial Priory of Paymartet which was about a league distant from Pouy (Coste I;12 [English Edition], Collet I:7 [Translator’s Note: since I could not find this reference in the English edition I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text], Serrpette, 9 [Translator’s Note: I do not have access to this work so I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text]). Dominique Dusin: unclear of his relationship to Vincent but was pastor of Pouy in 1623 when Vincent was there (Coste I:123 [Engish edition]; Collet II:109 [Translator’s Note: since I could not find this reference in the English edition I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text]; CCD:I:14, note 10).

2 Possessions

Ranquine

A house: Vincent and his family lived in a one-story house with a granary and a stable. The house was about 100 square meters and the barn covered about 180 square meters. The house had a living room-kitchen and four bedrooms: one for Vincent’s mother and father, one for the eldest son, and two others for Vincent and his brothers and sisters.

There was also a garden on the side of the house – about 470 square meters, and corrals for the pigs and birds, and a place to thresh the grain.

The farm included three plots of land called Lahounade, Mesple and Bournais, and covered an area of about 10,810 square meters.

They also worked other lands. In fact, besides the land in the village of Ranquine, the family worked land on the other side of the Bouglose road, land that was adjacent to the village of Leschine. This land was rented from the Barony of Pouy (Serpette, 33-34,10; Willy de Spens, 9-10 [Translator’s Note: Since I do not have access to these books I cite the references as they appear in the Spanish text]).

3 Rights

The Paul family were landowners in the village of Ranquine. Their land was considered “free land” (capcazal), that is, it was like the land of the nobles which one was entitled to work and did not have to give a share of the harvest to someone else. This type of farmstead gave a title to the landowners but did not elevate their social status.

The houses of these landowners were quite distinct. They had a walkway or a road in front of them, which meant that nothing could be built in front of their house — such persons had the right to “open space”, which in the case of the Paul family meant trees that protected the garden and the house from the Atlantic winds.

In addition to what has already been said, as landowners the Paul family also had the right to take from the common forests, all the wood that was needed for the maintenance and repair of their houses, as well that which might be needed for new construction. They also had the right to use freely the common pastures and lastly the right to be buried in the village cemetery (Serpette, 11 [Translator’s Note: Since I do not have access to this book I cite the reference as it appears in the Spanish text]).

4 Appendix: From Ranquine to Bercea

It seems that Vincent’s brothers, Bernard and Gayon, worked the land in Ranquine up to the time of Vincent’s death. Jean, the eldest left Ranquine and lived and worked in the area adjacent to the village of Leschine. In 1892 the house was uninhabited and in ruin (the only part that remained was the bedroom of Vincent’s parents).

The parish priest, Laurent de Lostalot (1665-1701) had Pierre de Pasqueau Darose (a carpenter) place a cross over the ruins as a memorial. Later the same priest had the house repaired and it become a chapel for pilgrims.

At the end of the XVII century, Luis de Paul, the grandson of the Vincent’s oldest brother, is registered as the owner of the land in Ranquine. He was married to Catherine Beheigne y remained there until the time of his death on July 17, 1718 (he was 78 years old when he died). His son, Jean de Paul then took possession of the land.

Jean de Paul, in the presence of Monsieur Monturiol, C.M., (pastor of the church) willed the land to his youngest son Thomas. Thomas lived with his mother in the village of Pontonx and sold Ranquine on June 16, 1751 to his cousin Jean de Leschine.

When Jean de Paul died on March 23, 1783 and left all his possessions to his son, Thomas, we do not know for sure if Ranquine was part of the inheritance or if it had already been sold to Jean Nogaro.

Jean Nogaro died on July 30, 1800 and Ranquine is passed on to his daughter Marie Nogaro.

Maria Nogaro, the widow of Laserre, sold the property to the Prefect of Dax on September 27, 1841 so that it could then become the Berceau (Serpette, 11-12; Coste I;6-9 [English Edition].