The Hundred Years War 1340-1452 is relatively easy to explain in a historical and military setting. It is much more difficult to chart the movements of the Delaforce family in this period. From 1215 they had four ‘domaines’ in the Auvergne. This hilly area, which includes many extinct volcanoes, is now known as the Cantal. It was 80 miles to the east of most of the main battle areas in the Gironde and Poitou. A considerable amount of ecclesiastical data is available about the family. A certain amount of civil information too, but of course little military information. The William and the Bernard Delaforces in this period must however be worth following. Luckily Jean Froissart the French military historian of the "Chronicles" reported the first half of the Hundred Years War.

At the beginning of the fourteenth century, the family were even more scattered than usual. The Merchant Venturers were coming back from London to the Gironde (not to Bordeaux which was still occupied by the French). The wine growers were still active in the Gironde. Part of the family were in the Agen/Fourcès/Condom area and others were in the Auvergne. The family town of FOURCÈS had been converted by the English in 1255 into a circular bastide & which is the subject of the next chapter.

This chapter deals only with those members of the family who were actively engaged or caught up in the war - according to the limited amount of information available. In this century there is some overlap with other chapters - the Perigueux tax-payers; the Auvergne family; the prelates; Fourcès; and the winegrowers.

Before the 'Hundred Years War'

Philip III of Valois, the Fair, King of France, had transformed France into the greatest state in Europe. With a population of twelve millions, four times that of England, France was well able to mock England’s claims to the Agenais, the region to the East of Agen, the city on the Garonne. Gerald de FORCES was Edward II’s Seneschal for Gascony, or his lieutenant, and on 8 June 1317 was making an ‘inquest’ into Anglo-French lands at Aiguillon on the Garonne. In 1325 the French had retaken the strategically important river port of La Reole on the Garonne. This was during the 'small war' of Saint-Sardos (1323-1327), caused by Edward II of England refusing to do homage to the French king, Charles IV, although he had done homage to Philip. However, Charles IV had fortified the village of Saint-Sardos, which is close to & North-East of Verdun (see later chaper 40), in which we have in interest, & this was regarded as a provocation by Edward II. The 1323 battle, a victory for the French, was previously erroneously set in the other Saint-Sardos in Gascony to the West of Agen.

An Anglo-French legal commission was set up in 1331 to investigate the dispute - called the Process of Agen. The English refused to surrender certain castles and King Philip IV threatened Gascon nobles in the disputed lands unless they transferred their allegiance. No agreement was reached and the disputed lands remained in French hands. Only Flanders, Brittany and Gascony remained English of the original large duchy of Guienne or Aquitaine.

In 1337 King Phillip sent his armies into Gascony and captured Bourg and Blaye. Three generations of Williams had been mayors and jurats of Bourg from 1273 and this continued at least until 1379 - and in 1332-9 WILLIAM DELPHOS was lieutenant & Prevost for the English based on LANGON between La Reole & Bordeaux.

'The Hundred Years War - King Edward III'

Eventually in 1340 King Edward III claimed the French throne, but it was not until 1345 that he sent his cousin Henry, the Earl of Derby, as lieutenant of Aquitaine to rally the loyal forces in Gascony. The Gascons had spent six years resisting the French and had developed - curiously - a passionate feeling of loyalty to their absent English Duke, although in their heart of hearts, they must have felt truly abandoned.

Previously 8-19 March 1319 Bertrand de Fourcès fighting for King Edward II ‘combatti sous les drapeaux d’Edward’. In 1320 as a Gascon Lord he went to fight the Scots and five years later reunited ‘la ville de Fourcès et en stipulant quelle ne pourrait jamais être donné en apenage si ce n’est a l’heritier du trône.’ This was rather an ambitious idea because in August 1343 Fourcès and Larroque-Fourcès was returned to French rule 'au domaine royal sur la demande des habitants en raison de l’interet strategique de ces localites.' All this means is that a French army was camping - temporarily - on their doorstep!

The English Duke in 1345 assembled his small army at Libourne, captured Bergerac and most of Agenais in a swift six weeks campaign. His second campaign out of Bordeaux was to recapture La Reole - by bluff - and then Aigullon further up the Garonne, was taken by Lord Stafford. In all two provinces and fifty towns and castles had been recaptured by the small English army.

1346 was the ‘annus mirabilis’ - the English commanders could do nothing wrong; victories in the north at Crecy; and Lord Derby accomplished miracles in the Gironde, finally capturing Poitiers. The next year Calais fell and remained English until Queen Mary’s reign. A truce lasted for a few years but on the French King’s death, it continued, as both countries were trying to recover from the Black Death, which had decimated them.

In 1355 the Prince of Wales - the Black Prince, sailed for Bordeaux to win back the lands retaken by the Count d’Armagnac in southwest Guienne. He recaptured some fifty towns and castles in Guienne as far north as Perigueux (see below for the Perigueux tax-payers).

Jean Froissart’s fascinating chronicles relate that William de la Fosse or FOUSSE a Squire, was killed at the battle of Poitiers fighting for the English in 1356. The next year Sir William du FORT commanded an English company at the battle of VIRONFOSSE. Finally the Lord 'Difort' was mentioned as being a 'good knight' and commander in the English army. Jean FROISSART also notes ThOMAS DU FORT, JEAN de FOSSEUX, GERARD de FOSSEUX and BERNARD des FORGES as fighting in the English Armies. On 24 August 1358 King Edward III ordered William de FORSES, Captain of Brentholm to deliver the abbey to the abbot ‘if he will take the oath of fealty’.

These Williams came from the Anjou/Poitevin family. The capture of King John at Poitiers brought immense riches to all who fought in the English army. The peace treaty of Bretigny in 1360 temporarily restored order to Agenais, the Gironde and Gascony.

In 1363 Bernard Jordan de Force, Seigneur de FORSSES since 1345 paid hommage to the Black Prince at the chateau of Bergerac on behalf of Fourcès, Condom and Montreal in Gascony. He was also shown as Mossieur Bernard de la Font, chevalier. Guillaume Forton as jurat and proceureur for Libourne, and Arnaud DUFFAULT or du FORTS as magistrate, and ‘proceureur’ for Tournon d’Agenais also paid hommage to the Prince at Angouleme. It can be seen how strongly the family supported the English cause.

In 1364 Bertrand du Guesclin started France’s recovery, even though King John died in captivity in London that year, and was succeeded by King Charles V. In the same year BERNARD de FORCIA with a military title of ‘milite’ paid hommage to the Archbishop of Bordeaux for Moulon (near Libourne) & Montravel, which are just to the East of Bordeaux. In the winter of 1366-7 the Black Prince invaded the Spanish half of Navarre through the pass of Ronscevalles and defeated Henry (Enrique) of Trastamara, supported by Du Guesclin with the French army at the Battle of Najera. The Black Prince was supporting Henry's half-brother, Peter the Cruel (1334–69), deposed king of Castile. Thomas de Fourcès fought in this battle for Du Guesclin on the French side. This victory did Peter little good. Two years later, Henry defeated Peter at Montiel & killed him in a duel after the battle. Henry successfully established a dynasty.

Battle of Najera

But in 1369 King Charles allied with Castile, Aragon and Navarre and discontented Gascons. Soon nine hundred towns repudiated allegiance to England, including Armagnac, Limousin, Agenais and Quercy. It was a disastrous year for England. The French armies avoided battle, but the defences of every French castle were strengthened. The next year Sir John Chandos - the English fighting hero - was killed near Poitiers and thousands of Gascons defected to France. Moissac, Aiguillon and Agen surrendered to the French and the Count of Armagnac was within 50 miles of Bordeaux. The Black Prince, a sick and dispirited warrior, returned to England. His successor, John of Gaunt, who had marched from the north through Auvergne to relieve Bordeaux retired from the fray.

The English cause was lost in 1373/4 with the fall of La Rochelle, and the thriving Gascon wine trade came to a halt. A thin strip of coast between Bordeaux and Bayonne was all that remained English (apart from Calais). In 1377 King Edward III died after half a century of rule.

Between the wars

The war had come full circle as with the English effectively thrown out of their French possessions, the French themselves landed at Rye and sacked Winchelsea to the point where the town had to be completely rebuilt on a 'modern’ grid pattern!

The English had social troubles back at home with the Peasants Revolt, and the French developed civil war through the rivalry of the two most powerful families - the Armagnacs and the Burgundians. The latter supported England. Throughout the Hundred Years War the division between the powerful ARMAGNAC family (French supporters) and their friends and relatives the DELAFORCES (English supporters) must have been sad and bitter.

'The Hundred Years War - King Henry V'

Henry V invaded Normandy and won the battle of Agincourt in 1419. The Treaty of Troyes in 1420 produced temporary peace. War broke out again and Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, revived French hopes and forced the English to end the siege of the town in 1429/30. She led the French to victory at Patay in 1430. Captured by the English she was sold to the French by the Duke of Burgundy for 10,000 gold crowns, and burnt at the stake for witchcraft and heresy in 1431. The Burgundians then withdrew support for England in 1435. Six years later Charles VII led a large French army against Bordeaux and two years later Gascony surrendered to the French. The battle of Castillon in 1453 was the final English defeat and the end of the Hundred Years War.

King Henry VI of England issued licences in 1455/6 to JOHN de la FOURCE to trade between France and England to compensate him for losses sustained by his loyalty (Calender of French rolls - membrane 3) and safe conducts to his brother BERNARD to trade between Spain and England via northern French ports.

During the period when the English occupied Paris from 1420-1436 the French parliament was called the Burgundy (1418-1436) Parlement. Two brothers BERTRAND de FONS and Jean Le FER/Jean de FORTON, the first a Clerc or magistrate and the second a Conseilleur were members of this Parliament. They both joined it in 1418 and left it in 1423 and according to MAUGIS ‘Histoire du Parlement de Paris, book III) they both disappeared.’ They would have been born about 1390 and were probably living in the Auvergne at Aurillac or Mauriac. A few years earlier in 1411, King Charles and the Duke of Burgundy were besieging BOURGES: the townspeople defended themselves and inflicted great losses on the besiegers: the nephew of BERNARDON de FERES, gaillard (gallant) homme d’armes was taken prisoner. BERNARD and JOHN are shown in the NORMAN Rolls at the PRO as merchants of PARIS in 1411-1417 trading with PICARDIE and ROUEN.

The Archives of Perigueux in the British Museum library have preserved the 'Tailles' and taxes levied for an eighty year period in the middle of the 100 Years War. Perigord was a large area and was under English control. The main purposes of the special taxes levied were military. In 1339 ‘reparations des Murs’ to make the city’s defences more efficient, and in 1366/7 to finance the Black Prince on his invasion of northern Spain.

There are about 150 entries including duplications, of the family in this period. The various tax regions were called ‘La quartieyra de LARSAUT’ (SARLAT), La quartier de LA GULNARIA' (ANGOULEME), 'Le quartieyra de Las Bergaris (BERGERAC) and 'La LENOIGANA' (LIMOGES), 'Quartier del PON(T)' of 'Rua Nova, Razat/rauzan, Asturs, Chastel, Verdu(n), St.Hilari, Agen, Sorges (Surgeres)'. The chateau near Bergerac was shown as 'la domna de Lafon'.

The currency was shown as Li (Livre or pound), S for shillings and d for pence! Also as s.tor.

The surnames shown varied enormously' de FORCHAS, de FORTO, de la Fon, Delforn, FORTET, de FOLCAUT, de la FORTIA, de la FORCIA, Fochier GUILLAUMES, father and son, were aiso shown as GRIMOART,W, and WILLELMA. Johns were shown as Johan. Aymerics, Helies, Pierres, Arnolds, Bernards, and a GIROT or GERALD were also shown.

The fathers were shown as 'lo vielh' and the sons as 'lo jove'. A Guillaume was a clercz or magistrate; an ITIER was a merchant.

Death rides a Lion

Sporadic outbreaks of 'Peste' or Plague happened from time to time in Europe. The outbreak of 1279 in Gascony for instance. But the scale of the Black Death in 1348 onwards was terrifying. The disease was carried into Europe at the end of 1347 by Genoese ships trading with the Black Seas. It was believed to be bubonic plague - a flea-borne epidemic of the black rat. The Queen of Aragon and the King of Castile died. The Pope fled to his country seat near Valence. The plague reached Gascony in the spring and King Edward's youngest daughter, the Princess Jean, died of it. She was on her way to marry the heir of Castile. The Queens of France and Navarre both died of the plague in Paris. By July it had spread through Poitou and Brittany and round the coasts into Normandy. In France it was believed that almost one in every three perished. The immediate effect of the epidemic, after the terror of its approach, the shock when it hit the community and the family, was chaos. Late 20th Century estimates raise the death toll to 40%.

Harvests could not be brought in. Taxes and revenues were not collected. Market fairs, on which local trade depended, were abandoned. Courts were not held and justice was withheld from the depleted population.

In the early middle ages when all work was manual and rarely skilled, the wealth of the country depended ultimately on agriculture and the farming community were not spared by the ravages of the Black Death. It reappeared in 1361 and continued to take its toll.

What is clear is that references to Delaforces were considerably fewer in France after 1360. They too must have suffered despite their hundred years in the Auvergne - a remote hilly country with a very small population - perhaps less affected than the Garonne valley between Bordeaux and Toulouse.

The main sources are the local history books and the famous GALLIA CHRISTIANA. Many individual towns in the GIRONDE have had individual histories written about them (BAZAS, BOURG, LA REOLE for example). Unless the family is noble or famous (or both) the French genealogists will not have recorded a family tree. Nevertheless there are a multitude of clues, which once located, need re-assembling. With the benefit of hindsight the Delaforce family between Bernard the GASCON Lord (chapter 25) 1425-1471 and William de FORCE (with many titles) who married BRACHEOTTE daughter of the Comte d'ARMAGNAC about 1000AD - i.e. four centuries - was composed of 20 generations of BERNARDS and WILLIAMS. The Gironde produced ARNOLDS and RAYMONDS and PETERS (wine growers).. POITOU produced WILLIAMS, IMBERTS and HELIES: GASCONY produced HUGUES, MICHELS and PIERRES. There were JOHNS in POITOU and GIRONDE, but the real mainstream were the BERNARDS and WILLIAMS. A chronological table shows the 150 year period from 1450 to 1300 which of course spans the Hundred Years War, but initially a few genealogical 'nuggets' are shown extracted from the local histories: some knowledge of French and Latin is required.

"HUGUES, Chevalier, Seigneur de FORSANZ en CONDOMOIS (SE of Fourcès), AMADIEU, son fils ainée (eldest) married in 1467 à AGNES de MONTESQUIEU." PIERRE, puiné (younger), Capitaine des gens d'armes du Sire ALBRET en BRETAGNE, 1487 marrié à JEANNE NOZ. "Fils GAILLARD de F0RSANZ gentilhomme du Roi Francois 1er, Gouverneur DINAN" about 1515.

This produces three generations - unFortunately not needed in the genealogical tables. Now for a more difficult ‘nugget’:-

These 37 ‘news items’ were derived from many local sources in the Archives of Bordeaux, Auch and Cahors. The rough and ready method of assessing the man’s possible date of birth according to his seniority, status may lend to inaccuracies. The 125 year period under review requires 6 or 7 generations to be identified. One could assume that almost automatically a young man of around 20 years would get married, that a child and children would follow quickly and that the first born child would be called after the father. On this basis it is realistic to find a dynasty of seven generations of BERNARDS. One must remember how amazingly mobile our ancestors were in an age when travel facilities were minimal. The triangle of Bordeaux-Perigueux-Agen is less than 100 miles each span. One must remember too that because of the war, which was more or less continuous in this area, mobility was essential for survival.