Antoine Lériget sieur de La Taillandière.


Antoine, Taillandière.

He was the fifth of nine children of Pierre Lériget sieur de La Faye and Louise Thuet, born 1 September 1593 and baptized the following day in La Rochefoucauld, Angoumois, France. Some sources state he spent at least some of his time about 5 kilometers northeast of there in Tapponat.

First born sons typically inherited the lands, the other boys would become soldiers, priests or apprentice for a trade. Antoine's older brother Roch took sieur de la Faye from their father's name.

coin
18th century coin depicting the trade

Antoine is referred to as “sieur de La Taillandière”. The title sieur, denoting membership in a privileged social class, is not a rank and is most often associated with a parcel of land, but here it seems linked to a trade. The Lériget family were part of the bourgeoisie, neither peasant nor noble.

A taillandière, or edge-tool maker, practiced a traditional skilled craft. He was a blacksmith who specialized in making sharp tools like knives, scissors or shears. He may have been called upon to produce a sharp edged scythe for a farmer or a well-balanced sword for the nobility to wear.

Marriages.

Antoine first married Suzanne Chazaud about 1618. The couple had three children: Louise (1619), Jeanne (1622), and Jean (1624).

Origin of Sieur de LaPlante.

His second marriage was to our ancestor, Andrée Mesturas. Her father held title to a small estate in Saint-Claud as well as the honorific sieur de la Plante. Andrée also had been married previously to Pol le Sueur and they had a son, Jacques Le Seuer.

Antoine and Andrée had five children: our ancestor Paul born about 1631 who resided in the village of Chez-Chadiat in the parish of Saint-Claud, Antoine baptized in Saint-Claud 18 January 1632, Jean (who later became a merchant and married Marie Allanore on 17 October 1658), Jeanne baptized in La Rochefoucauld 2 April 1636, and Louise.

In this case both our ancestor Paul and her son Jacques from her first marriage used the title sieur de LaPlante.

Antoine died in July 1645 while Paul was still quite young.