Non-Decorators: The Logic of a List
The Account Books of the Treasurer of Amiens lists, in no obvious order, 105 individuals fined for failing to decorate their houses in honor of the traditional Catholic parish processions of May 1562. My discovery of another source, a large list of “suspects” at the National Library of France, somewhat late during my research stint in Amiens, enabled me to see that the list of Non-Decorators, whose organization initially puzzled me, was structured according to people’s parish of residence. For example, the first five persons on the list: Raoul Forestier, Centurion [Hublee], Pierre Polleur, François Savary and Jehan Dupuis were all – according to the list of Suspects – residents of the parish of Saint Firmin-en-Castillon; the next nine persons on the list from the parish of Saint Germain and so on.
The list of Non-Decorators must therefore have been assembled from separate parish lists and indeed it seems according to an entry in the deliberations of the town council that the church wardens (marguilliers) of the respective parishes may have been charged with compiling the lists of the disobedients from their respective parishes. Discoveries like this helped give dimension for me to what were simply names on a list when I first came upon them, prior to ever setting foot in Amiens. The amounts of the fines, initially puzzling to me, also proved to have a structure. As I worked with the series of postmortem inventories, I saw that the minimal fines (such as 8 or 10 sous) were associated with poorer folks, and in short that that the fines were calibrated according to supposed ability to pay, rather than, say, the severity of the offense.
I reproduce below the list of 105 non-decorators as it appears in the printed inventory based on the work of longtime archivist Georges Durand and superimpose some markers which display the underlying parish architecture:
Parish key:
Saint Firmin-en-Castillon
Saint Germain
Saint Leu
Saint Jacques
Saint Remy
Saint Souplis
Saint Michael
Saint Firmin-le-Confesseur
Raoul Forestier, 20 livres; Centurion, 10 sous; Pierre Polleur, 4 livres; François Savary, 20 sous; Jehan Dupuis, 24 sous; Jehan Blerie, tapissier, 4 livres; Claude Buret, 10 sous; Christofle de Mortrœux, 20 sous; Ozias de Mortrœux, 10 sous; Jehan Lhéritier, 4 livres; Rasset Dumont, 60 sous; Nicolas Gauchet, 8 sous; Loĩs Lebrun, 10 sous; Pierre Waugermol, 100 sous; Jehan Hangest, 20 sous; Jehan Moufflier, 10 livres; Anthoine Dècle, 10 livres; Thoinyn de Guisnes, 20 sours; Guiot de le Lie, 32 sous; Andrieu Chocquet, 60 sous; Henry Guénard, 40 sous; Jacques le Berguier, 100 sous; Thomas Elloy, 40 sous; Jehenne Menoier, 40 sous; Nicolas de Moncheaux, 60 sous; Mariette Rolland, 10 livres; Jehan Badde, 40 sous; Fremyn Lucas, 40 sous; Claude Nouyn 40 sous; Anthoine Heudebourg, 20 sous; Claude Denyn, 40 sous; Adenet Gouget, 4 livres; Fremyn Froissart, 10 sous; Jacques de Navarre, 40 sous; Jehan Dubois, 20 sous; Nicolas Ballin, 40 sous; Jehan de le Vallée, 20 sous; Guillaume le Moisne, 40 sous; Jehan Beudyn, 60 sous; Estienne Griffouyn, 40 sous; Jehan Platel, 60 sous; Pierre Lestocquart, 10 sous; Martine de Revelle, 20 sous; Pierre Le Soing, 60 sous; Jehan Ricard, 10 livres; Nicolas Gervois, 40 sous; Anthoine Becquet, 40 sous; Fremyn Sevault, 20 sous; Jehan Elloy, 4 livres; Phrlipprd Hullot, 10 livres; Raoul Floury, 20 sous; Colin Lemaire, 8 livres; Nicolas Macquerel, 10 livres; Jehan de Bellemeunière, 40 sous; Leurens de Conty, 10 sous; Guillaume Boutart, 10 sous; Estienne Bouteleux, 10 sous; Gabriel Coustellier, 20 sous; Grégoire du Saulchoy, 20 sous; Léon Bullot, 4 livres; Francois Latien, 20 sous; Zorobabel Léger, 60 sous; Anthoine Le Jeune, 20 sous; Colin de St.-Léger, 10 sous; Toussains Puissant, 20 sous; Jehan Cuvellier, 40 sous; Marche Darras, 4 livres; Jehan Guillemetz, 60 sous; Jehan Desbrunetz, 60 sous; Raoul Dufierz, 20 sous; Martin Caignart, 40 sous; Jehan Wallet, 20 sous; Robert Willequyn, 20 sous; Pierre Hiérosme, 8 sous; Ambroise Chocquet, 40 sous; Jehan Moictier, 20 sous; Robert Cappel, 8 sous; Guillaume Souldet, 8 sous; Anthoine Lefèvre, 60 sous; Guillaume Caron, 60 sous; Adrien Duppliquer, 20 sous; Pierre de le Bridelle, 40 sous; Anthoine Poinctel, 10 livres; Nicolas Lefèvre l’aisné, 8 sous; Nicolas Lefèvre, his son, 8 sous; Jehan Lesobre, 20 sous; Fremyn Courchel, 20 sous; Adam Paien, 40 sous; Lucien Dupuis, 10 sous; Fremin Dufour, 8 sous; Fremine Coutel, 10 sous; David Cocquyn 40 sous; Phelipes de la Houlsoie, 20 sous; Simon Lecoq, 20 sous; Roberde Leborgne, 40 sous; Anthoine Docquois, 10 sous; Colyn Prévost, 20 sous; Pierre Dufour, x sous; Jehan Cosette, 8 sous; Jehan Laloue, 20 sous; Nicolas Lefèvre, 4 livres; Jehan de Waudricourt, 60 sous; Pierre Beuger, 100 sous; Nicolas Vasseur, 20 sous; Anthoine Lasne, 4 livres; Anthoine Le Roy, 100 sous; Jehan Le Grant, 20 sous; Francois Bullot, 40 sous; Master Nicolas Cauchie, 4 livres; Jehan Randon, orfèvre (goldsmith), 3 different fines: one 20 livres; the other two each 60 sous. Toussains de Rivery, 60 sous [not found on the list of suspects]
* See the scans of the physical list in my “Non-Decorators” blog post on the Sources page