Claville-Motteville

From the Dungeons of Rouen to the Threat of the Scaffold 

Count Antoine Raoul Gabriel Le Bègue de Germiny and his wife were declared "suspects" by the revolutionary government. Torn from their estate, they were cast into the prisons of Rouen, where damp and squalid cells left a lasting mark on the Count’s health. Conditions of detention were harsh: their female gaoler would summon them in a voice like thunder under the name "Germinie" when distributing meals, while the guillotine indiscriminately struck down members of the nobility.

A Petition Against Death 

It was then that a silent but determined resistance was organised within the village. Refusing to see their lord perish, the inhabitants of Claville drew up a petition to testify to his kindness and justice as a master. This document was of an exceptional nature: almost the entire population added their signatures, with the exception of a single person.

The preservation strategy was of remarkable precision. From décade to décade, according to the Republican calendar, the villagers renewed their plea and transmitted it to the authorities in Rouen. Each submission secured a ten-day reprieve, continually postponing the moment of execution. This strategy of patience eventually bore fruit: the couple escaped death until the fall of Robespierre, which finally sounded the hour of liberation.

The Price of Loyalty and Gratitude 

Whilst this solidarity saved their lives, it did not preserve their property. Through a bitter irony, the government declared the Germinys "emigrés" while they were behind bars, thus permitting the confiscation and sale of their lands as biens nationaux (national property).

Upon their release from prison, Monsieur and Madame de Germiny showed immense gratitude towards their protectors. The Count distributed considerable relief to the needy of the commune, including in his generosity the sole inhabitant who had refused to sign the petition. This account, preserved in local memory, illustrates how a rural community stood united against arbitrary power, sealing an unbreakable bond between a family and its village.