"Azure, something Or between three things Argent." Michon Family Genealogy Forum Michon (Bourgogne) D'azur à un chevron d'argent, accompagné en chef de deux étoilles de même, et en pointe d'un monde aussy d'argent. Azure, a chevron between two estoiles of six points in chief and an orb in base, all Argent. Armorial de la Généralité de Bourgogne (Ch. d'Hozier) page 101 #209: Claude MICHON, avocat en Parlement (fl. 1696).
Michon du Marais (Lyonnais) D'azur à la fasce d'or accompagnée de trois besants d'argent, 2 en chef et 1 en pointe. Azure, a fess Or, between three plates. These simple arms have also been used by others, including the Provençal family d'Estienne du Bourget (or Etienne) and the French commune of Ballon (Sarthe) as listed in the Armorial Général of 1700 [confirmed in 1961]. Some Michon du Marais go by the other names listed below, and at least one family member went on record with a full name that demonstrates the linkage: Marie Michon de Vougy de Pierreclos du Marais (1848-03-26 / 1890-03-16). These "Michon de Vougy" arms became those of the village of Vougy (Loire). Michon de Vougy (Base Léonore, etc.) [Map] Vougy (42720, Loire) is now a village of about 1600 people. The grounds of the castle of Vougy straddle the villages of Vougy and Pouilly-sous-Charlieu, near the city of Roanne (42300, Loire). The castle has been a protected landmark since 1997. Although "Marais" is a fairly widespread French name (meaning swamp, marsh, or bog) we may observe that the above name of "Pouilly" comes from "pol", a Celtic word for "marais". [Besides Pouilly-sous-Charlieu, more than 20 French places share the name, including Pouilly-lès-Nonains, W of Roanne, and Pouilly-lès-Feurs, NW of the city of Feurs, which is 40 km to the south.] Roanne lies in the northern part of the plain of Forez (east of the Monts du Forez) where the Loire river flows south to north. Before it was finally drained (around 1860) the entire plain was a swampy lowland, that had evolved from a large prehistorical lake. A neighborhood of Roanne was known as "Le Marais" at least as late as the 19th century (see below). Streets called "Boulevard Baron du Marais" exist in Roanne and in the town of Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon (69110) W of Lyon. A collection about Roannais includes a 1997 essay by J. Chaize, entitled "Les tribulations du valet du baron du Marais"... All this seems utterly unrelated to the Château du Marais, which overlooks the junction of the Loire and Allier rivers, near Nevers (120 km NNW of Roanne). Other irrelevant "Marais" castles are found in Val-Saint-Germain, in Normandy, and elsewhere... The Hôtel Michon de Vougy is listed as one of the 18th century architectural assets (featuring "colombages") of the city of Roanne, where it's currently used as "Maison de la Culture". Here are two headings in the Loire archives concerning the city limits of Roanne and Vougy: 1 M 383 Roanne (projet de réunion avec le hameau du Coteau, le faubourg du Coteau, les quartiers du Marais et des Baraques Mulsants, la section Saint-Clair, modifications de limites avec les communes du Coteau, de Riorges, et de Mably), 1804-1874. 1 M 409 Vougy (réunion des communes d'Aiguilly et de Vougy en une seule), 1822-1826. Michon de Chancé Between 1677 and 1685, François d'Aubusson (comte de la Feuillade, duc du Roannais) recorded the allegiance of a dozen lords holding land within his newly acquired estates of Saint-Haon-le-Châtel (about 15 km W of Roanne) including a resident of Roanne, Adrien Michon (for Chamarande, near Saint-Romain-la-Motte, 9 km NW of Roanne) as well as Jacques Michon, lord of Chancé [Renaison parish, S of Saint-Haon-le-Châtel]. Jacques Michon (born before 1626) was "garde du corps du Roi", he married Marguerite Perrin de Montloup, and they had a daughter, Marguerite Claudine before 1644. His title was passed on to [his son?] Pierre Michon, husband of Jeanne-Marie Valence (1662-fl.1694). This branch of the Michon [du Marais] family had been holding land in the same vicinity well before 1595: André Michon (fl.1595), Jehan Michon who married Marie Valence in 1596, etc. Michon de La Farge In 1702, the wedding of Louis Michon de La Farge and Françoise Thévenard took place in Sevelinges (Loire), just halfway between Vougy (Loire) and Propières (Rhône) where the castle of La Farge is located. This remark may or may not be relevant, since "La Farge" could simply refer to "Les Forges", which is now a part of Vougy... The area of France indicated at left contains these and other places mentioned so far (highlighted on an animated map). In 1766, six formerly distinct lands (Aiguilly, Aillant, Boisvert, Les Forges, Montrenard, Vougy) were unified to form the Comté of Vougy under their common owner, Jean-Louis Michon de la Farge (also lord of nearby Pouilly and Chamarande, among others) who thus became the first Comte de Vougy. Michon de Pierreclos (Bourgvilain 1687) Also Pierreclaud or Pierreclau (1750). In 1785: Michon de Pierclos, seigneur de Bourgvilain. The poet Lamartine (1790-1869) was a regular visitor at the castle of Pierreclos. Marguerite Michon de Pierreclau (Mademoiselle de Milly) grew up there. She is "Laurence" in the 1836 poem entitled "Jocelyn", in which Lamartine tells about the liaison Marguerite had in 1816, with a vicar he knew.
Vieilles tours que le soir dorait dans le lointain. Lamartine reportedly had 3 illegitimate children from different mothers, in 1805, 1806 and 1813. The last of these was Jean-Baptiste Léon Michon de Pierreclau, who was born on March 1, 1813 in Cormatin (Saône-et-Loire) to Anne Josephine Dezoteux, wife of Guillaume Benoît Adolphe Michon de Pierreclau. Jean-Baptiste married Marie Josephine Alix de Glans de Cessiat, on March 28, 1838, in Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire). He died there 3 years later, on July 26, 1841.
Cenves is now in the Rhône "département" (Rhône-Alpes region), just south of the border with Saône-et-Loire (Burgundy region). It's only 10 km south of the above Pierreclos castle (map), itself 10 km south of the famous medieval abbey of Cluny. The land of Cenves was held from 1539 to 1710 by the branch of the Rochebaron family established at Berzé-le-Châtel (between Pierreclos and Cluny) who apparently also held the Pierreclos castle, which is now owned by the Pidault family). In 1710, Aimé Gabriel Michon bought the land and became Baron of Cenves. The Michon held the land of Cenves from 1710 to 1816, at which point its inhabitants bought it back. Château de Rochebaron (43210 Bas-en-Basset) | www.rochebaron.org de Michon (Chevalier de l'Ordre de Saint Louis, après 1715) Michon Coster (Noblesse du Second Empire) Michon (description © AFE Frédéric Luz) De gueules à une fasce d'or chargée de trois tourteaux de gueules, accompagnée de deux merlettes en chef et d'une en pointe, les trois d'argent. Gules, on a fess Or between three martlets Argent, three roundels of the field. The following five entries (respecting the original typography) are found in the regional work of L.-Pierre Gras (St-Erienne, 1874) Répertoire héraldique ou armorial général du Forez (p.172-173):
On page 221 of J.B. Rietstap's Armorial Général (see euraldic.com), the following Michon blazons are found, confirming some of the above. "Differencing" from the Vougy arms can be observed. Two versions of those arms are found quartered with the arms once born by Léonard Balhéon, "échevin de Lyon" in 1678 and 1679, namely: "D'argent, au sautoir engrêlé de sinople acc. de quatre tourteaux de gueules, au chef d'azur chargé d'une tête de lion arrachée d'or."
Comte Raoul de Vermandois Escheque d'or et d'azur. Chequy Or and Azure. Earliest dated heraldry (1146). Vermandois was Seneschal of France. 1073: Born in Valois (Bretagne), died in St. Arnoul on Oct. 14, 1152. 1124: Married to Eléonore de Blois (1104-1147). Divorced in 1141. 1142: Married to Petronille de Poitou, (a.k.a. Alix, Aelis, Aelith and Petronella; Eleanor of Aquitaine's younger sister). Divorced in 1151. 1152: Married to Laurette de Lothringen (c.1075-c.1175). These arms were assigned to Dreux around 1154, by Comte Robert Ier. They were also assumed by William de Warenne (Warren) after marrying a Vermandois. de France (Valois) D'azur à 3 fleurs de lys d'or of England
Gules, 3 leopards of gold (Graphics not drawn by the author are linked back to their sites of origin.) Personal arms (May 3, 2013) Gules, a saltire gyronny of sixteen, Or and Sable. All rights reserved © 2013 Gérard P. Michon Keywords : heraldry, heraldic, armory, armiger, armigerous, blazon, blazons, armorial, coat of arms, family crest, Azure, Gules, chevron, mullet, roundel (roundle) martlet, imperial orb, royal orb. Mots clef : héraldisme, héraldique, armoiries, blason, blasons, armes, azur, gueules, chevron, étoile, tourteau, tourteaux, merlette, monde, orbe royal, orbe imperial, Reichapfel, fleur-de-lys. |