yielding £607 per annum, to “James Puissar, Esq., commonly called Marquis de Puissar.” And the said Louis James Puissar empowered Lieutenant-Colonel William Tatton “to set by leases of lives renewable for ever all his lands in Ireland, as also to receive all his rents.” In 1699 he resigned “Terence Coghlan’s estate,” and got other lands in exchange. He died in 1701. His widow married her cousin, Colonel the Hon. William Villiers, second son of George, third Viscount Grandison. In the Irish Establishment for 1702 there is a pension of £200 to Mrs. Catherine Puissar, now married to Colonel Villiers. Because he was a Frenchman, his regiment is sometimes named conjecturally as a French regiment, and called Pisar’s or Pizar’s — but it was the 24th foot, which was Marlborough’s from 1702 to 1704, and was then given to Lieutenant-Colonel Tatton.
The researches of Colonel Chester revealed his pedigree. The widow of our Marquis made her Will in 1706 (proved by her second husband in 1709), through which his names were ascertained. She does not call him a Marquis; but it must be remembered that his Marquisate was a French courtesy-title, which could not be retained in English society by his widow on her re-marrying; her legal title as a widow was Mrs. Catherine Puissar (she is so styled in the Irish Pension List). It is stated in official documents that her husband was “commonly called Marquis de Puissar.” His name was Louis Jacques Le Vasseur-Cougnée. His father was George le Vasseur-Cougnée, Marquis de Thouars, as to whom Haag states that he married a Dutch lady, and had a son, Charles Gaspard. The title of Marquis de Thouars was also a courtesy-title. Joachim le Vasseur, Seigneur de Coigners, alias de Coignée, alias de Cognée, alias de Cougnée, was killed in the St. Bartholomew massacre. His first wife’s name was Louise de Thouars, and she was the mother of his children. The eldest son was Jacques le Vasseur, Sieur de Coigners, Thouars, and Fargot, whom Anselm calls Seigneur de la Coignée au Maine; but he dying childless, the representation of the family devolved on his brother, Joachim le Vasseur, Sieur d’Aillieres, who died in 1629, and was styled “Le Vasseur-Cougnée.” His son and successor, Louis le Vasseur, Seigneur de Coigners, married Susanne de Mallery, and had seven children; of whom the eldest son, Jacques, Marquis de Coigners, abjured Protestantism and continued the family in France; the second son was Georges, Marquis de Thouars, father of De Puissar [or Des Puisars].
Du Quesne.
The Du Quesnes were a Norman family, renowned through one of its sons, the greatest naval hero of France. The father of the historic Du Quesne was Abraham Du Quesne, an earnest Protestant, born at Blangy in the Comté d’ Eu, but by residence a citizen of Dieppe; he died in 1635, having the rank in the French Navy of Chef d’Escadre. His merits having been recognised by Gustavus Adolphus, he for a time had quitted the French for the Swedish service; perhaps it is a memento of his wandering life that has been found in the City of London French Church register, which records the baptism of Etienne, fils de Abraham du Quesne and Marthe De Caul. Louis XIII. recalled him from Sweden with honour, and gave him employment and promotion.
Abraham Du Quesne, surnamed “Le Grand,” was born in 1610. He was thus seventy-five years of age when the Edict of Revocation came out. On being urged by Louis XIV. to change his religion, if he would escape banishment, he nobly pleaded that, having for three-score years rendered to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, he should be unmolested in his old age in continuing to render to God the things that are God’s. The king granted him this toleration; he died at Paris on the 2d February 1688. Monsieur Perrault says of him:—
“He was born and died a Huguenot. ’Tis not to be doubted, had it not been for this obstacle to his fortune, but that the king would have rewarded him in a more conspicuous manner than he did during the whole course of his life, though he gave him a very illustrious mark of his favour — namely, a grant of 300,000 livres to purchase an estate, which was named Bouchet (near Estampes), but which his Majesty erected into a marquisate under the name of Du Quesne, to make his name immortal, as it deserves to be.”
The French family descends from his brother. The admiral’s sons were refugees.
The eldest son, Henri, Marquis Du Quesne, was born in 1652. He spent his refugee life in Holland, in Switzerland, and in England. When his father died, he petitioned that his body should be given up to him, he having bought the estate of Aubonne in Switzerland chiefly for his burial. The king refused the petition; and having secured that the interment should take place in France, he also refused to erect a monument. The Marquis succeeded in possessing himself of the heart of his
