been married to a second husband, who was confirmed as the executor of her first husband on 25th July 1729. (Perhaps the name survived as Hereuse; William and Peter Hereuse are registered at Inveresk on 2nd August 1768, the former contemplating marriage.)
King William III., by Act of Parliament dated 1693 (renewed by Acts of the Reigns of George I. and II.), granted to the city of Edinburgh the proceeds of a duty upon Ale and Beer, amounting to twopence sterling per pint. The elaborate catalogue of expenditures under the Act included “ two thousand merks Scots [£111, 2s. 2d. sterling] to two French Ministers.” From some surviving receipts from these Divines, and also from the Minutes of a Board of Overseers created to supervise the Town Council’s expenditure of the funds obtained from the Ale Duty, we get some insight into the history of the French ministers. It would appear that the father (or the grandfather), Du Pont, died in 1710, and Rev. Francis Loumeau Du Pont, his son and colleague, obtained M. La Ferre as his colleague. This was “Jean Le Ferre, ministre” so described in the register of Hungerford French Church, London, on 2nd October 1688, the day of his marriage to Marthe Peau; in March 1711 Du Pont and La Ferre acknowledge receipt of their half-yearly salaries. La Ferre died on 9th May 1712, and was buried in Greyfriars’ Churchyard, as “Mr. John Lafwer, French Minister of the Gospel in Edr., aged 66 years.” His widow received a pension. He was succeeded by M. Joseph Broumar du Mulmar (as I am informed by a correspondent), who disappears in 1723, and is replaced by M. Jean Rodolphe Tarin. The senior colleague, M. Francois Loumeau Du Pont ministered for forty-four years; he married Marie Bonfils, who survived him. They had two children, Pierre Loumeau Du Pont, born in 1699, and Marie, who died on 16th October 1705, aged five years. Mr. Du Pont died on 8th December 1726, and was buried on the 9th in the Greyfriars’ Churchyard, “in the Frenchmen’s ground, south Morey’s stone.” His widow was his executrix, and his cautioner was Simon St. Bonnet, merchant, burgess of Edinburgh. He left to his son, Peter Loumeau Du Pont (by Will, dated 5th December 1726), “all my books, boxes, tables, presses, and every other thing relating to, and used by me for, my studies.” He left to his wife, “all my property, debts, and sumes of money resting, or that shall happen to be resting, to me by the good town of Edinburgh, or whatsoever other person or persons.” His property consisted of £262, 4s. 2d. sterling in the capital stock of the Equivalent Company, and £90 arrears of stipend.
It seems that there had been some controversy between the Town Council and the French Congregation. The Council had planned to suppress the charge on Mr. Du Pont’s death. The congregation claimed the right of electing their ministers, and the first Du Pont colleagues of 1682 had no other title than election by the congregation. The people seem to have elected the colleagues after the oldest Du Pont’s death. But it appears that M. Jean Rodolphe Tarin had been elected by the Town Council, in order to quench the hopes of young Pierre Loumeau Du Pont. On 1st March 1725, a resolution of the Town Council came under the review of the Overseers; it was to the effect “to restrict Mr. Du Pont’s stipend from and after the first of July nixt to one thousand merks Scots, and not to supply his or Mr. Turenne’s office on their being vacant by death or otherwise.” On the 3rd March the Overseers agreed to a minute which, after reciting both the Town Council’s resolutions and the tenor of the Acts of Parliament establishing the two ministers, “recommended to the Council to consider how far the same was consistent with the aforesaid three Acts of Parliament.” The congregation had elected the son, who for the present stood aloof, the senior Mr. Du Pont being undisturbed, and dying (as already stated) in 1726. The son forthwith took the father’s place as collegiate minister along with Mr. Tarin. And he had to appeal to the Overseers for his stipend of 1000 merks. (The people, at this date, formulated no objection to Mr. Tarin’s title, although they never actually acknowledged it.) Mr. Peter Du Pont’s appeal first came up on 1st August 1728, and the Overseers requested a conference with the magistrates. On 3rd December 1728 the Overseers recommended the Town Council to pay Mr. Du Pont, and the recommendation “to pay” was confirmed on December 9.
The controversy was put to sleep by a fresh immigration of French Protestants, and a consequent accession to the French congregation. Here I have to apologise to the reading public for having kept in life in my previous editions the tradition that a band of Huguenot silk-weavers in 1685 found an open common near the village of Broughton, and established the colony of Picardy, on the site of the modern street now called “Picardy Place, Edinburgh.” The fact is there was no such common; the ground was enclosed, being the property of Heriot’s Hospital, and was let to tenants. No evidence of refugee silk-weavers is to be seen in the Edinburgh
