History of the House: 12-15th Centuries

Ever since we moved here I’ve been fascinated by the history of the house and property. We have some drawing dating back to the 18th century and some old documents dating back even further. Virginie’s grandparents had collected a list of the previous owners.

But it wasn’t until this year that I started seriously researching it. What got me hooked were a couple books written about the history of Ecrosnes and its surrounding hamlets and about the church in Ecrosnes, both written by a local historian named Maurice Vié. That was my starting point. And this is what I’ve found so far (if you have any information that could help my research, don’t hesitate).

Origins: High to Late Middle Ages

The earliest mention of Jonvilliers dates back to the 12th century, barely 60 years after the Norman Conquest and 200 years into the Capetian dynasty. It is during this time that the lords of Jonvilliers are mentioned in the cartularies of Josephat and of Notre Dame de Chartres. Cartularies are medieval monastic records. Josephat was a Benedictine abbey in Leves, near Chartres.

The cartularies show that the lords of Jonvilliers were vassals of the barons of Gallardon and as such pledged allegiance to the barons. In 1128 Guillaume and Robert of Jonvilliers witnessed an allowance made to Josephat by Hervé of Gallardon. In 1130, Guillaume, along with several other the baron’s vassals, witness an allowance made to Josephat by Hervé, son of Engelbert of Boigneville.

In 1201, the village was called Junviler, and is mentioned in the records of the Saint-Florentine Abbey in Bonneval, which are stored in the county records office.

At the very end of the 13th century, another Guillaume de Jonvilliers (maybe the grandson of the previous) witnesses the giving of a smallholding near Prunay sous Ablis to the lepers of Beaulieu by Michel de Bontigny.

Then the trail goes cold for over 175 years, perhaps because of the famines, plagues and political strife of the the 14th century. Jonvilliers resurfaces in 1476, when it is mentioned as a seigneury, or estate of a noble, of Gallardon.

Eight years later, a certain Rogerin de Jouan was born. But more about him and his descendants in the next installment.

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[House History: Chateau de Jonv]

[...] few months ago I posted the first two chapters of the history of the Château de Jonvilliers. The first was about the early period, from the 12th to 15th century. The second was about the 16th century. The 17th century sees the Château de Jonvilliers plunged [...]