The Huguenot

...a tale about a French family
during a time of religious persecution

Chapter 1: The 'Way of Exiles'

"How can a brother-in-law also be one's father-in-law?" he asked himself groggily as his eyes began to focus on the vast flax fields outside his bedroom window. Daniel Crommelin, a 28 year-old banker from Paris, was residing temporarily in the guest cottage owned by Pierre Testart, his brother-in-law - soon also to become his father-in law. The surroundings were familiar to him because he too had been born and raised in this Protestant quarter of Saint Quentin, situated along the Somme River on the northern frontier of France close to what is today Flanders or Belgium. The mist on the promontory of St. Quentin was beginning to make way for a perfectly clear and sunny day.
"A splendid start to an important day," mused Daniel as he quietly contemplated how his uncomplicated life might forever be changed by what would transpire between now and sunset. Would he still be able to do his 'own thing' or would matrimony put a damper on his customary care-free life? One positive development would be that he would soon have a warm body lying next to him to help ward off the chill of winter nights.

Flax was the engine that drove the economy in this northern region of France. Pretty fields of blue blossoms produced the flax that was skilfully harvested, dried, bleached, and woven into the costly clothing, table linen and drapery that adorned Europe.

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Daniel was one of nine children of Jean Crommelin and Rachel Tacquelet who had survived into adulthood. There were six others who didn't, and he was sibling No. 13.
His parents, Jean and Rachel, owned the Crommelin Linen Works which gave so much prosperity and employment to his native land. Virtually every other merchant and business in town earned its livelihood in some way through its connection with the linen industry. St. Quentin was, in effect, a company town and his father, now deceased, had owned the company.
Since then, ownership of the family business had transferred to sibling No. 10, his older brother Jacob, as a wedding present from his mother upon Jacob's marriage to Elisabeth Testart in 1663. She was an older sister of the girl he would be marrying today in about four hours time.

Like many young men who never lacked for money while also having few responsibilities, Daniel had developed a taste for the finer things in life. He had also cultivated a sense of entitlement.
Although he had refined tastes, his demeanor was humble enough, almost to the point of appearing poor, slovenly and downtrodden. People who didn't know Daniel would be more inclined to feel sorry for him and want to offer him a job rather than expect him to offer them one!
Having lived footloose and fancy free for many years he had finally succumbed to the pleadings of his parents to undertake some worthwhile endeavour.

Daniel decided to investigate banking as a career and duly went to Paris to learn the trade at Rondeau Bank near 'Les Halles', a busy market square in the center of the city.
He reasoned that at least he would be able to earn a tidy income without having to work too hard. Another step in his transformation from a shiftless individual to a grown-up, responsible family man would be taking place today and he had mixed feelings about that too.

So, who was Anne Testart, his bride-to-be? No surprises here. She was none other than plain old, auburn-haired Anne Testart, the young playmate who Daniel had known from childhood.
She was nearly four years younger than himself but while he was away in Paris during the last three years she had spent her time productively developing into a rather attractive young woman with a decidedly firm spirit and singleness of mind.
Anne Testart was the youngest daughter of Pierre Testart and Catherine Bossu.

Marie, Elisabeth, and Anne Testart, were the only children of Pierre Testart and Catherine Bossu.
Marie, the oldest, happened to be the last one to marry. She married Pierre Villette in 1683. Meanwhile Elisabeth had married Daniel's older brother, Jacob, in 1663 at which time his mother, Rachel Tacquelet, now widowed, turned over to him management of the Crommelin Linen Works.
This was quite a responsibility for a 21 year-old man with no real business acumen or managerial skills. In fact, he was a lacklustre theology student studying for the ministry in Rouen before being counseled by an uncle, Francois de Coninck, to quit wasting his time trying to become a pastor. He couldn't even take correction from his instructors.
Jacob went to Holland to sort himself out but then in 1659 news came that his father, Jean Crommelin, had died at age 56. He then hurried back to Saint Quentin to see what he could do to assist in the family business.

Brother Jean (sibling No. 8), had been groomed by their father to inherit the linen works but he died at age 23 in Rouen, France, following a bout of pneumonia in 1662 while visiting his sister, Catherine (sibling No. 5).
When she learned of Jean's illness, Rachel Tacquelet rushed to Rouen from St. Quentin to nurse her son but it was too late. The young man died in his mother's arms and she was devastated.
This was at a time when Huguenots still had the luxury of burying their dead in their own private cemetery in a north-east corner of the walled city of Rouen, not far from the city's moat and ramparts. Jean was laid to rest on September 13, 1662 according to the registry of the temple at Quevilly that served Rouen.

So, who would run the family business now? Two older brothers, Louis (sibling No. 1) and Abraham (sibling No. 4), had no interest which is fortunate because Louis died years before in 1669 while Abraham died just the previous year in 1673.
Another sister, Marie Crommelin (sibling No. 2), had married Daniel de la Chambre and had several children by him but she died at Rouen in 1660 during childbirth. Therefore of the four remaining children, Catherine, Jacob, Daniel and Esther (sibling No. 14) it was a good thing that Jacob had assumed command of the Crommelin Linen Works years earlier.
Now, after today's wedding on October 28, 1674, Daniel would be married to Anne Testart, sister of Elisabeth - two brothers married to two sisters.

Click to enlarge.

Both brothers would have the same father-in-law, namely Pierre Testart. He was a rotund, balding, good-natured individual with a twinkle in his eye - a veritable patriarch who would go on to have 16 children by three wives over a period of 35 years.
He was a successful linen merchant, and a devout French Protestant Calvinist - a true model 'Huguenot'. However, his first wife, Catherine Bossu, the mother of the two sisters who married the Crommelin brothers, died relatively young so Pierre Testart had married a second time to Rachel Crommelin (sibling No. 6) - an older sister of both Jacob and Daniel. Besides being their father-in-law, this also made him a former brother-in-law to both boys!

Then when Rachel died giving birth to Pierre's seventh child, Pierre Testart married a third time to Anne Baullier and had a third batch of children through her!
This last wife had the arduous task of raising children by Rachel Crommelin as well as her own brood in the same way that Rachel had raised the children of Pierre's first wife, Catherine Bossu.
In other words, Daniel's older sister, Rachel, had played an important role in raising Anne Testart, the little beauty that he was about to marry on this crisp fall day.
Anne Testart was at once a bratty playmate, cousin, sister-in-law, and a soon-to-be wife! And that's how Pierre Testart could be a former brother-in-law and also a father-in-law to both Jacob and Daniel Crommelin.

It may sound convoluted but that's how relationships were amongst the Huguenot communities. Protestants were a marginalized, if not persecuted minority in largely Roman Catholic France. If they could afford it they established their own enclaves or districts in cities where they could socialize in safety and comfort, and also have a Protestant school in which to educate their children.
This is how it was in St. Quentin. The Sainte-Catherine district was the 'upper class' neighbourhood where the wealthier Protestants raised their families. This is where rich merchants such as the Joncourts, Seruriers, Testarts and Crommelins lived. All were Protestants. There was a great deal of intermarriage amongst relatively few prominent Protestant families and even cousins married each other for the sake of inheritances and religious beliefs. Protestants also had a better work ethic.They tended to be more industrious, more entrepreneurial, more inclined to industrial and artisan work such as weaving, paper making, silk weaving, silverware and glassware rather than being simple farmers. They were greater risk-takers and consequently generally more prosperous.

Meanwhile their Roman Catholic counterparts venerated a large number of saints, many of whom were to be celebrated on their own special day. Consequently these frequent holidays interfered with the production schedules of Huguenot bosses who were the principal captains of industry.
Exasperated foremen would ask their bosses how they were expected to meet delivery commitments when production had to cease or slow down whenever the Catholic contingent failed to show up because they were busy at home celebrating another saint.
Sometimes it seemed like there were more holidays in a year than work days! For their part the Catholics were often irritated, feeling like second class citizens, when they saw the wealthier Huguenots driving around in lavish coaches with their coats-of-arms proudly emblazoned on their carriages.

Under King Louis XIV many royal decrees were weighted in favour of Catholics. Even public cemeteries were for the exclusive use of Catholics while Protestants had to bury their dead furtively in private gardens with no memorials of any kind or inevitably risk a riot.
When wealthy Samuel Crommelin, son of Pierre Crommelin (one of Daniel's father's two brothers), decided to memorialize his father with a gravestone and epitaph that mentioned the deceased's anticipation of eternal life in heaven, this inscription caused a huge stir in St. Quentin. After all, wasn't it common knowledge that only Catholics were qualified to go to heaven?! Thereafter no Protestant was allowed to be buried in a public cemetery and every funeral would be done early in the morning by one person only in a private garden, and no memorial was to be left to mark where the deceased were buried. Orchards became burial grounds.
Yet in spite of their religious discrimination the Catholics continued to pay grudging respect to the Huguenots of St. Quentin because they had established the businesses that forged their common livelihood and prosperity. One Crommelin family member even served two successive terms as mayor of St. Quentin - something that was unheard of!

But now Daniel had other things on his mind. Never early for an appointment, he thought he should make an extra effort to be on time for his wedding which would be celebrated according to the prescribed marriage ceremony that was followed by the nearest Huguenot Temple which, for the people of St. Quentin, happened to be at Lehaucourt.

Even the term 'temple' was used to distinguish the Protestant house of worship from a Roman Catholic church since only Catholics were allowed to use the term 'church'.
Lehaucourt was a village four miles north of St. Quentin. It served the needs of all the Protestants in this region of Picardy. The temple at Lehaucourt was where all the rites of passage - baptisms, deaths and marriages - were duly performed and recorded for posterity in the church registers.
This temple, like all the other temples in France, owed its existence to the Edict of Nantes that was promulgated in 1598 by the French King Henri IV, a Protestant. In an attempt to curb the constant conflict between the Catholics and Protestants, this edict gave limited freedom of worship to Huguenots and allowed them to have a few churches or 'temples' at a select number of large cities in France. The temple, however, had to be at least 6 leagues outside the city.

The nearest temple for Paris was at a sleepy town called Charenton while Quevilly Temple served the Protestant population of Rouen. Similarly the temple at Lehaucourt served the Protestants of St. Quentin.

* * *

Pierre Testart's guest cottage looked prim and proper for the occasion. His maid had thoughtfully placed a vase of fresh flowers in the windows and kitchen table and she would prepare the marriage bed with fresh sheets and scented flowers once Daniel had left for Lehaucourt.
Even the outside privy sported a garland of flowers above the door. "A nice touch," thought Daniel. "I'm glad I thought of it!"

What lay ahead was a two-hour drive over the "Way of Exiles" - the local name for the rutted road linking St. Quentin and Lehaucourt - the road used by the Huguenots, a contemptible minority, to attend their house of worship.
Daniel would go in a cart drawn by faithful 'Dodie', an aged mare that certainly didn't have many more round trips between Paris and St. Quentin left in her weary bones.
Loping alongside would be Belle, a white mongrel that one day had paid Daniel a visit with an injured paw and then stayed on to become his inseparable companion.

Now, what to wear? Out from a sturdy trunk came his finest suit - the one used mainly for special occasions such as weddings and funerals. Rarely seen in anything but casual attire, Daniel felt a bit uncomfortable donning such finery for his own special day. Was this to be his wedding or his funeral? He wasn't exactly sure.
And would he wear his frayed straw hat that was used on many memorable fishing excursions with Belle, or would he wear his cap used for formal occasions? Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!
"I'll wear my straw hat on the way out and put on this formal thing when I get to the temple," he decided. "I'd better get used to wearing good clothes for a change, so 'might as well start now on this day of new beginnings!"

Daniel was a bit ambivalent about church matters. He was more certain about what he was 'against' than what he was 'for' vis-a-vis Christian doctrine. He saw sham and persecution on all fronts coming from the Roman Catholics who seemed to idolize the Virgin Mary, relics, and images of every Saint imagineable. Therefore he would never consider becoming a Papist. However, he also wondered whether his Calvinist fraternity was always on the right track with regard to certain doctrines like the business of baptizing babies.
Whereas John the Baptist immersed adults, including Jesus, in the Jordan River, baptism was swiftly carried out upon new-born babies here in France. Daniel thought that christening a child in a ceremony of dedication to God made eminent good sense but only a mature adult who was making a deliberate step of faith by symbolically dying to self and being raised again to newness of life in Jesus Christ should be baptized by immersion.

Obviously babies didn't have the capacity to make such a decision, neither had they begun their life of sin yet, so Daniel thought baptizing babies was a bit premature and nonsensical.
Nevertheless he appreciated the fact that new-borns were being entered into the church registers for the benefit of posterity. He wondered if any of this recorded history would ever be seen by descendants far into the future, or were the births, deaths and marriages he witnessed simply a formality - a useless legal requirement?

Another Calvinist thing that irked Daniel was the subordination of women. Soon he would half-heartedly engage in a ceremony that required his new wife to 'love, cherish and obey' him in a life of matrimony. Although he was no theological scholar, he reasoned that if God is no respecter of persons because 'there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, or male and female - for all are one in Jesus Christ', why should there be such a doctrinal emphasis on a woman's obedience to the dictates of her husband?
A woman wasn't even allowed to write Christian literature, preach the gospel, or become a pastor but had to wait until she got home to have her husband explain the Word of God to her!
Couldn't a woman be 'called' to the ministry by an inner prompting of the Holy Spirit in the same way that a man was? Some of the women Daniel knew, including Anne Testart, studied the Bible avidly and clearly knew more about theology than their spouses ever would!

Restrictions against women performing religious functions such as writing, teaching and preaching only served to cut the strength of the church in half with regards to evangelism, he reasoned. So how can that advance the cause of Christianity? It was like trying to fight a spiritual war with one hand tied behind your back!
If nothing was permitted or expected of women in the theological arena then surely they would turn their brilliant minds to idle chatter and gossip rather than evangelism, and Calvinism might certainly wane and die someday because of its rigid stand on this issue alone.
Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion" may have done a masterful job in articulating sound biblical doctrine, but on this particular point Daniel begged to differ. He believed a woman could navigate the intricacies of sound doctrine quite capably herself without the help of a male tutor while a wife should also have equal authority on all matters of a domestic nature. It wrankled his sense of fair play and equality to think otherwise.
Besides, he liked a little feistiness in a woman. That inner spark of self assertion would enable her to carry on should any misfortune befall the head of the household. "A wife should be devout; strong in spirit; a hard worker; a good homemaker; attractive and alluring," he concluded. "I think I made the right choice..."

Preparations for the Sunday morning entourage to Lehaucourt were already well underway by the time Daniel had washed and dressed.
The ostlers servicing the horses and large carriages that would take the Testarts and Crommelins to Lehaucourt had already finished their business and the coachmen were ready and waiting for their passengers.

Meanwhile a maid entered to give Daniel a simple breakfast of fish, bread, milk, cheese and fruit, and then left him with a knowing grin and a slight nod for encouragement. She wanted to leave him with a kiss for luck but then thought the better of it.
He smiled when he looked out the window and saw several little girls boarding the coaches carrying pretty bouquets of flowers for this special occasion.

Next to come out of the stately Testart mansion was the wedding party he was looking for. Anne, looking radiant in her attire, was followed by her father and his wife, Anne Baullier.
His wife-to-be glanced upward to the cottage window where Daniel was sitting. She grinned, waved, and blew him a kiss.
Daniel had already opened a window and called back, "Enjoy your last hours of freedom, Anne! 'See you soon! God bless!"
For his part, Daniel would be riding alone in his own cart accompanied by his horse, Dodie, his dog, Belle, and expecting to return in the late afternoon with an extra passenger amidst an assortment of wedding presents.

Since there was only one temple to service a multitude of Protestants in a major city, and this temple was situated a fair distance outside the city limits, it was necessary to conduct as many 'rites of passage' as possible at every church service. Some people travelled a long way to come to the temple - many on foot during inclement weather and this meant hours of walking. Therefore, all official functions had to be performed at once.
There would be opening hymns, prayers, recitations of the Lord's Prayer and Decalogue, then weddings and baptisms would take place before the pastor presented his hour-long sermon. This would be followed by the singing of a closing Psalm.
People who had walked to church would be drifting in and out throughout the service, much to the annoyance of fellow congregants who had arrived on time. After the service some would linger for fellowship to exchange gifts, partake of some food, talk about business and make new friends. Then there would be the long trek home again.

* * *

Daniel was lost in thought as Dodie pulled him inexorably toward an uncertain future. As a youth he had travelled this road dozens of times to attend church and to help in its construction. He was familiar with every rut and bend in the road, but this time it was different. This trip marked the end to his bachelorhood and wanderlust - his yearning to partake in many wonderful things that were going on just beyond the horizon.
If there was a lake nearby he would gladly trade a dull sermon and a wedding ceremony for an hour or two on its banks to catch a fish or toss in a stick to watch Belle tirelessly fetch it for the hundredth time.
Then immediately he felt guilty for his selfishness and thought of Pierre Testart, his erstwhile brother-in-law and soon to be father-in-law. How many times had he travelled this same wind-swept road through weather foul and fair to attend services as an elder of the church - officiating at weddings, funerals and baptisms, and even to occupy the pulpit occasionally in the absence of the pastor? Now, there was a role model worth emulating! The man was the epitome of hard work - a pillar of virtue and devotion to people and to God – qualities Daniel knew were in short supply in his own character.

Then he wondered why this single Protestant temple had to be so far out of town while Catholic churches dotted the landscape. It all seemed so unfair.
Daniel's reverie was interrupted when he heard the rumble and clatter of a large carriage approaching from behind - a coach of four that happened to have a coat-of-arms prominently displayed on its door. The emblem was that of 3 merlets on a white background next to a fleur-de-lis on a blue background.
Inside rode his brother, Jacob, accompanied by his wife, Elisabeth Testart, and a woman who Daniel recognized as Catherine - an older sister who lived in Rouen.
Seated next to her was Catherine's husband, Robert Oursel, and one of their children, a youth named Frederic. Two of Jacob's children were also on board this stately carriage. Drawing abreast of Daniel, the carriage slowed and squealed to a halt.

Brother Jacob called out, "Nice to see you on the road, Daniel. 'Glad you didn't forget your wedding! 'Good thing I recognized your hat, otherwise we would have passed you by! 'Just the right hat too for a wedding! 'Planning on doing a little fishing afterward?"
Jacob liked to chide his brother because he was familiar with Daniel's eccentricities and his penchant for shunning formal activities in favour of anything that was more leisurely.
"No... Before!" retorted Daniel. "I have my fishing pole right here next to me! So, where's the nearest fishing hole, Jacob?" Then tipping his hat he added good-naturedly, "'Good to see you Catherine. I'm honoured that you came all the way from Rouen for my wedding. I'd like to know your husband better too. I understand he also does a little fishing!"
"I'll save you a seat when we get there!" she replied. "Please don't get lost on the way, and whatever you do, don't come in smelling of fish! We have enough of that stink around our house already!" Then with a friendly wave, a crack of the whip, and a cloud of dust the luxury vehicle pulled away and forged ahead.
"Get up, Dodie! Get a move on, girl!" cried Daniel. "I've got a wedding to attend!"

There were many travellers on the Way of Exiles this morning owing in part to the recent spell of fine weather.
Carriages, carts and lone riders passed each other on the road to Lehaucourt and there were plenty of parishioners who simply walked. Groups of Protestants who chose to sing Psalms along the way in order to relieve the monotony were frowned upon by villagers in their gardens and farmers in the fields. Some would even shout profanities and shake their fists at the passing pilgrims.
Many Catholic peasants were also on the road to attend morning Mass at the Lehaucourt R.C. church which stood less than a hundred yards away from the Protestant temple. In passing, a respectful nod or wave might be exchanged between people of opposing faiths.

Along the way Jacob's coach passed a simple wagon carrying a farming couple and their daughter whose bare legs and feet dangled over the rear tailgate. When she saw the coat of arms on the passing coach she frowned and stuck out her tongue at Cyprien, one of Jacob's boys who was sitting next to the door of the coach. He returned the compliment by wrinkling his nose, sticking his thumbs in his ears and waggling his fingers at the girl.
"Why are those Catholics so unfriendly toward us, Mom?"
"They don't like the way we worship God, Cyprien, although the God we worship is the same," replied Elisabeth.
"So what makes us different? They look the same to me!"
"Well, they have a lot of priests, a Pope, rituals, and the Virgin Mary that stands between them and God. We believe that Jesus is the only priest or intermediary between man and God. Our salvation doesn't depend on us doing rituals or good works to earn our way into heaven. Christ has done it all!"
"That's right," added Jacob, drawing on his two years of theological training in Rouen. "By dying on the cross Jesus has already done all that can be done to make eternal life possible for us. Salvation is a gift - not something we can earn. All we can do is praise God with thanksgiving for the sacrifice of his Son for our sins."
"Well, they can believe whatever they want,“ said Cyprien wistfully, “I just wish they'd be a bit more friendly toward us anyway.“

* * *

Inside Lehaucourt temple pastor Samuel Mettayer welcomed the congregation and said a prayer of invocation. Several opening Psalms were sung but still there was no sign of Daniel.
Meanwhile strains of music from the exuberant Protestants carried over to the R.C. church next door, reaching the ears of the visiting Bishop of Noyon. A look of extreme irritation passed between him and the mayor of Saint Quentin who happened to be a member of the R.C. church at Lehaucourt. The congregation also looked in the direction of the source of the objectionable noise which interrupted the homily being delivered by the Bishop who, with palms upraised, shrugged his shoulders and gave a sigh of resignation.
The mayor of Saint Quentin whispered something to a parishioner sitting next to him as 'A Mighty Fortress' started up in the background. The parishioner happened to be the driver of the wagon encountered by Jacob and Cyprien earlier on the road. His daughter dutifully turned to open a window which, of course, resulted in the rousing Protestant hymn being heard even louder than before!