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To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root

 

               LE CHRISTOPHE       List of the Crew of Cartier
                             1535                   Second Voyage

Down below is an excerpt from a notarized contract dated April 14, 1535 for a voyage to Newfoundland from La Rochelle. The ship is "Le Christophe", a 70 tons vessel, fully equipped with food, artillery, cables, anchors and other necessities for a crew of 22 comrades including the captain. The contract includes the list of the 22 crew members. The purposes of the trip is for fishing and to bring back lumber and other "profits". The lumber part is suprising, although it is known that France was deforested at that time.

For instance from the circumstances surrounding the engagement of Jacques Cartier, a Breton, as "pilot" in 1534, it is clear that Cartier had been to North America before his official discovery voyage and that this was the reason why he was chosen. Meanwhile, another Breton, Guillaume Le Gatz, of Paimpol, was also engaged as the pilot of the "Marguerite-Antoinette" a ship of La Rochelle, with 19 men, leaving for Newfoundland on March 25, 1534, 27 days before Cartier's departure on his first official trip. In the account of his trip, Cartier reports meeting French ships in the Gulf of Saint-Laurent

To put things in context, this apparently run-of-the-mill ordinary voyage is taking place at the same time, within a few days, as the second discovery trip of Jacques Cartier to North America, eleven years after Verrazzano's, three generations before any serious attempt by France or England to do anything permanent in North America.

It is worth noting that the captain is Breton and so are many of the crew members. It has been said that Bretons had been fishing and trading on the coast of North America since the XIV century, although I have never read any well documented paper about it. It remains that when somebody was hired as a "pilot" it is because he knew the way to get there, hence he had been there before

Similar contracts can be found in the Archives départementales of Charente-Maritime (France), in the various notaries' papers. M. Georges Musset of La Rochelle has published the results of his archives investigations on this subject in "Les Rochelais à Terre-Neuve 1500-1789" published in 1899.

 

Excerpt from the notarized contract, notary A. Doulcet 

Maistrisse du navire de Buschet.

Personnellement establis honorables Durand Buschet et Jehan Bernyer, marchans et bourgeois de la Rochelle, lesqueulx, en nom et comme bourgeois du navire nommé Le Xpsistofle de la Rochelle, du port de soixante dix tonneaux ou environ, et eulx confians dans la preudommye et bon gouvernement de Gluille Le Gludic, demeurant à Pel Proux en Bretagne, ad ce present, icelluy ont mys, constitué, ordonné et estably maistre et pillote, emprès Dieu, dudict navire, lequel a promis faire avecques ledit navire le voiaige et pesche à la Terre Neufve que lesdicts marchans ont intention faire faire, au plaisir Dieu, cette présente année. Et a confessé ledit Legludic avoir reçu desdits Buschet et Bernier, oudit navire, toutes les vitailles nécessaires pour faire ledit voiaige, tant bateaulx, artileries, casbles, ancors que autres vitailles nécessaires pour vingt et deux compaignons, pescheurs et mariniers, y compris ledit maistre, les noms desqueulx compaignons s'ensuyvent :
 

    Yvon Aultrer                                          Pregent Le Breton
    Yvon Le Floc                                         Yvon Le Gentilz
    Jehan Meur                                           Guillaume Riou
    Guillaume Prédelet                                 Gabriel Mathurin
    Yvon Hellies                                          Marc Prévost
    Jehan Guillou                                         Jehan Carrou
    Jehan Querret                                        Olivier Prégent
    Herry de Porsal                                      Olivier Bras de Fer
    Olivier Galleron                                      Jehan Leblanc
    Jehan Riou                                             Jehan Le Gendic
et
   Jehan Le Gentilz      

   Joachim...., serviteur et commis desdits Buschet et Bernier, absent.


Faict et passé en la Rochelle, ès présence de René Sauzeau, maistre couturier et bourgeois de ladite ville, Gratien Boitvin et Colas Pasteau, marchans, demourant en ladite la Rochelle le 14e jour d'apvril, 1535, A. Doulcet.

 

    List of the Crew of Cartier     
                 Second Voyage, Spring 1535              

On the 31st of march 1535, in Saint Malo (Britany/Bretagne) one of Jacques Cartier assistant listed the people going to the New world with him.

This second trip to the New World was ordered by François 1st, king of France.

The list was registred by Jehan Leveillé, working for the abbey of Saint Jehan.

The original document is still in the Saint-Malo records, serie BB.4 folio 17-20.

It is not for sure that everyone listed on this document was a passenger........The list was made several weeks before the departure date and it was known that Cartier wanted to replace 25 or 30 people.

The log and the royal report mention that 110 were on the ship.

There are very good chances that the majority of these people went to Canada; Cartier mentioned  a dozen of names in his ship book.

Some of these people were Cartier family members or allied families.

  ORIGINAL DOCUMENT :

Le mercredy dernier jour de mars après Pasques mil Vcc XXXV à l'abaye sainct Jehan, davent mondictseigneur le Capitaine, presans Maistre Jehan Le Juiff, lieutenant de la court de Sainct Malo, le connestable, Jehan Billard, procureur desdictz bourgeoys, Jn. Cronier, Jac. Chenu, Jehan Grout le jeune, Bertrand Beauboys, Pierres May, Françoys Gaillard, Jehan Maingard Huperie, Jacques Martinet, Robin boullain, Estienne Richomme, Guillaume Boulain Villauroux, Pierres Ancelin, Guillaume Maingard, Guillaume Pepin, Jehan Brisard l'esné, Jehan boulain Belestre, Thomas de La Bouille, Robin Gaultier le jeune, Thomas Maingard, Françoys Martin, Guillaume Grout, Roullet Souchart, Yrlet Morel, Guillaume Le Breton Bastille, Georges Boulain, Guillaume Sainct Mains, Pierres Gosselin, Jehan Grout l'esné, Charles Cheville, Guillaume Gaillard, Pierres Jonchée, Pierres Gaillard, Jehan de May, Pierres Colin.
Et plusieurs aultres desdictz bourgeoys assemblez, etc.
Sur ce que a esté par ledict procureur remonstré touchant vne bannye qui fuct hyer faicte par Pierres Gaultier, sergend, a esté ledict sergent presant, quel a confessez avoir faicte ladicte bannye quelle il a aparu; et a dict vng nommé Jehan Poulet presant la luy a faict faire et non aultres, de laquelle bannye a esté ordonnée estre incereré en ce papier; et ledict Bastille presant, quel a desavoué avoir faict faire ladicte bannie; et ledict Poulet presant quel a dict en vertu de la charge luy baillée ledict Cartier avoir faict faire ladicte bannie.
Et lesdictz de La Bouille et Maingard presant quelz, o la charge que Jacques Cartier a baillé audict Jehan Poulet, ont advoué ladicte bannie et non aultrement.
Et a celuy Poulet aparu le rolle et numbre des compaignons que ledict Cartier a prins pour ladicte navigation : & a esté mis entre mes mains pour incerez cy dessous, & a celuy Poulet protesté de en dymyez du nombre de XXV à trante & d'en prandre d'aultres à son chouaix.
L'incertion desdicts maistres, compaignon mariniers & pillotes s'ensuyvent:


                                                      Jacques Cartier, capitaine.
                                                      Thomas Fourmont, maistre de la nef.
                                                      Guillaume Le Breton Bastille, capitaine et pilote du galion.
                                                      Jacques Maingard, maistre du galion.
                                                      Macé Jalobert, capitaine et pillote du Corrlieu
                                                      Guillaume Le Marié, maistre du Courlieu
                                                      Laurens Boulain.
                                                      Estienne Nouel.
                                                      Pierres Esmery, dict Talbot.
                                                      Michel Hervé.
                                                      Estienne Pommerel.
                                                      Michel Audiepvre.
                                                      Brand Sauboscq.
                                                      Richard Cobaz.
                                                      Lucas Saumur.
                                                      Françoys Guitault, apoticaire.
                                                      Georget Mabille.
                                                      Guillaume Sequart, cherpentier.
                                                      Robin Le Tort.
                                                      Sanson Ripault, barbier.
                                                      Françoys Guillot.
                                                      Guillaume Esnault, charpentier.
                                                      Jehan Dabin, cherpentier.
                                                      Jehan du Nort, cherpentier.
                                                      Jullien Golet.
                                                      Thomas Boulain.
                                                      Michel Philipot.
                                                      Jehan Hamel.
                                                      Jehan Fleury.
                                                      Guillaume Guilbert.
                                                      Colas Barbé.
                                                      Laurens Guillot.
                                                      Guillaume Bochier.
                                                      Michel Eon.
                                                      Jehan Anthoine.
                                                      Michel Maingard.
                                                      Jehan Maryen.
                                                      Bertrand Apvril.
                                                      Gilles Ruffin.
                                                      Geoffroy Ollivier.
                                                      Guillaume De Guernezé.
                                                      Eustache Grossin.
                                                      Guillaume Alliecte.
                                                      Jehan Raby.
                                                      Pierres Marquier, trompecte.
                                                      Guillaume Le Gentilhomme.
                                                      Raoullet Maingard.
                                                      Françoys Duault.
                                                      Hervé Henry.
                                                      Yvon Le Gal.
                                                      Anthoine Aliecte.
                                                      Jehan Colas.
                                                      Jacques Prinsault.
                                                      Dom Guillaume Le Breton.
                                                      Dom Anthoine.
                                                      Phelippes Thomas, cherpentier.
                                                      Jacques Du Bog.
                                                      Jullien Plancouet.
                                                      Jehan Go.
                                                      Jehan Le Gentilhomme.
                                                      Michel Donquan, cherpentier.
                                                      Jehan Aismery, cherpentier.
                                                      Pierres Maingart.
                                                      Lucas Clavier.
                                                      Goulhet Riou.
                                                      Jehan Jac, de Morbihen.
                                                      Pierres Nyel.
                                                      Le Gendre Estienne le Blanc.
                                                      Jehan Pierres.
                                                      Jehan Coumyn.
                                                      Anthoine Des Granches.
                                                      Louys Douayran.
                                                      Pierres Coupeaulx.
                                                      Pierres Jonchée, etc.

The information on this page is taken from "A collection of documents relating to Jacques Cartier and the Sieur de Roberval" by H.P.Biggar, chief archivist for Canada in Europe, published in Ottawa by Public Archives of Canada, publication No 14, 1930. Well worth reading, and I hope I won't get sued for reproducing the text below.