5 Centuries of history in Nontronnais

The bulk of this material comes from the La Garde de Saint-Angel family, a family whose author has endeavoured to trace the history from 1604 to 1928. It is not so common for family archives to cover such a long period in its continuity, nor for them to
make it possible to reproduce people's lives and daily lives at such a level of precision. One of the interests of this continuity is to shed light on the progression of alliances, the ramifications of which the author has deepened and strengthened understanding through numerous paintings. Remarkable is also the material on the Revolution: we discover by the menu how a family of aristocrats was able to survive the turmoil, and even reach a second peak under the Second Empire.

But this book also provides copious information on the social and economic history of Nontronnais. Illustrated with reproductions and photos of the time, maps and original infographics, it gives countless information, especially on the life of the region and its agriculture in the nineteenth century and the Belle Époque, and in particular on the prices of foodstuffs and everyday life.

This book should also satisfy the curious by the unexpected, the La Garde having been co-owners of a plantation in Saint-Domingue (in the eighteenth century) and especially of the famous vineyard of Clos de Vougeot (in the following century): here again the documentary contribution of the papers of La Pouyade is incomparable.

The author:

Pierre Garelli was born in 1952. A historian by training, he has long been interested in family history. He lives and works in the North. He devoted his leisure time to literature, theatre and typography.