The Mende museum houses an engraving drawn by Romanet in 1780. The drawing depicts a man in his sixties. His hair is graying and curly, in the style of Louis XVI. His forehead is broad and authoritative, and his gaze is direct; everything contributes to the impression of a strong personality. At the bottom of the portrait, the painter reproduced a coat of arms depicting a tree, more precisely a pear tree (in the local dialect: périé) on a gold field. This is the coat of arms that Guillaume Périer chose when he was ennobled around 1745, later becoming the last lord of Lestampe and, shortly thereafter, the last to bear the title of Baron of Mirandol.
On the lower margin of the painting, the following verse can be read, which, if not overly flattering, serves as a fine tribute: "Good father, good relative, good citizen, good master. Having what is rarely seen: good friends, and knowing how to be one."
After two hundred years, the small village of Lestampe, nestled in a limestone fold of the Goulet, despite the ravages of time, revolutions, and pillaging, still retains what continues to be called "the castle." In fact, it is only a portion of what was once the splendid residence mentioned in documents scattered across the departmental archives of Lozère, Gard, the Grand Seminary of Mende, and among several private individuals in Chasseradès.
Demolitions and renovations have profoundly altered the buildings. Of the majestic portal made of beautifully worked stone in the Louis XV style, only a part of the castle remains; one wing survives. The ground floor of a neighboring building, with its round pillars supporting a nave with ribbed vaults, suggests what might have been a chapel. The elders of Lestampe speak of the splendor of the furniture in what was called "the green room" and "the pink room." The farm buildings are distinctly separated from the main dwelling.
The Master of L'Estampe
Guillaume Périer, originally from Lestampe, was born in 1720 into a bourgeois family. His father, Charles Périer, engaged in the fabric trade for a time, with mixed success, as he was imprisoned in Anduze and Nîmes for unpaid debts. However, he ensured the education of his children: two boys, Guillaume and Joseph (known as Labro), and a girl, Louise. Highly intelligent and possessing a strong sense for business, Guillaume Périer pursued his studies, and through hard work and perseverance, eventually became a lawyer.
Around 1745, he married Marie Rolland, the daughter of the prosecutor at the Parliament of Toulouse. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed capitoul of the city. This appointment automatically conferred nobility upon the beneficiary. From that moment on, he became Monsieur de Périer.
But legal intricacies soon proved insufficient for his boundless energy; he embarked on tax collection, particularly the "equivalent" (a tax on meat and wine). Thanks to his tireless efforts and the robust health of a mountain man, he expanded his enterprise and soon became the general farmer of taxes for part of Languedoc and Aquitaine.
Knowing how to leverage his connections, he successively became the proxy for the county of Eu, secretary of commands to the Duke of Penthièvre, and a member of his council. By 1784, Guillaume de Périer, Baron of Mirandol, was an advisor to King Louis XVI, secretary-general of the French Navy, and general administrator of His Majesty's estates. It could be said that little Guillaume had climbed to the highest rungs of the social ladder without wasting any time.
Meanwhile, his fortune had grown colossal, and he acquired immense estates (at the Château de Lestampe alone, it took 49 days to complete the inventory in 1793!). While old noble families were going bankrupt maintaining the lavish lifestyles of royal courts and were forced to sell off lands, rights, and castles, some, like our Guillaume, kept their wits about them. Thus, the descendants of the Good Lady of Mirandol (Morangiès de Baltz) gradually sold all their lands to Guillaume Périer.
It began in 1763 with the purchase of "la Borio" or the farm of the Mirandol castle, and the entire lordship followed suit, except for the castle rock and the title itself. In 1768, he acquired the lordship of Belvezet. Périer helped build the village chapel in 1772, along with those in Grèzes, Montjoie, and Escudière. On January 18, 1777, he bought the lands of Mazel d'Allenc and Larzalier. In 1778, he acquired the lands of Lestampe and "l'Aufage" (Daufage: in Latin, altus fagus, meaning the village of the tall beech). In 1779, the lordship of Puylaurent was added. In 1780, Guillaume bought "the chapel known as Mirandol in the parish church of Chasseradès, which urgently needs repairs" (we have seen that this chapel was built by the barons of Mirandol). Finally, on January 19, 1785, Guillaume purchased the Mirandol castle and its title. From that day forward, he signed his name "de Périer, Baron of Mirandol."
He would be the last to hold this title, and he would not hold it for long. The Revolution of 1789 was looming, destined to destroy this immense fortune even faster than it had been amassed.
On May 23, 1790, Périer wrote to his steward Rousset: "I have always feared civil war... my fears are starting to materialize. The evil is spreading from place to place, and I fear a general conflagration all the more because there is defection among the troops, and the executive power is powerless and lacks vigor."
"In Paris, we live in constant fear and alarm." One can well imagine the life of the wealthy Guillaume, forced into hiding, trembling at the thought of being arrested and guillotined "like many of the tax farmers."
Guillaume Périer died in Paris on August 27, 1792. He left behind only one daughter, married to the Count of Saint Haon, who had no children. Nothing remained of the de Périers... not even the name.
A Trick by Périer de Lestampe
On the wall of Seville Cathedral, one notices an old chest bound with complex ironwork. But what is striking is that this chest has been forced open; the mutilated locks and damaged lid bear witness to this. This is the chest where the Cid Campeador, the valiant knight who fought against the Saracens, claimed to have locked away treasures serving as collateral to arm his army. As the Cid was delayed in returning from the war, curiosity got the better of the good people of Seville, and they could hold back no longer: they had the chest broken open... only to find ordinary pebbles.
Was Guillaume Périer of Lestampe aware of this legend? According to Mr. Tardieu, a local surveyor from Chasseradès, it wouldn't be impossible. In a letter from Canon Costecalde, he recounts the following legend, which he claims to have heard from his grandfather, a contemporary of Périer.
So, at that time, the scheming Guillaume, richer in ambition than in money (he was still in his early days!), went to Paris to secure the contract for the general tax farm of some specific tax. But the required security deposit was substantial, and Périer's purse was empty. What was he to do?
Like a clever Auvergnat, with a bit of a horse-trader's cunning, he resorted to a trick to make money without spending a dime. Before arriving in Paris, Périer had several very sturdy iron-bound chests made, equipped with heavy locks. Unbeknownst to anyone, he filled the chests with river stones; he then locked them securely and had them loaded onto carts. He pretended to supervise them meticulously, never letting them out of his sight, and openly spoke of "the treasure" he was transporting. Upon arriving in Paris, he had the chests brought to his apartment and redoubled his vigilance.
Such elaborate precautions aroused intense curiosity. The secret police of the other bidders had already warned their employers that a serious competitor had arrived bearing extraordinary collateral. Terrified by this competition, the aspiring tax farmers sent their finest agents to Guillaume Périer to persuade him not to bid. He played hard to get for a long time, keeping his hand resting firmly on his chests like a man supremely confident in his position. Finally, he agreed, but demanded "a hefty sum" and "in cash!"
The next day, as he was leaving for Lestampe, the innkeeper respectfully asked him: "My lord, where should we send the precious chests that remain in your apartment?"
"To the Seine," replied Guillaume with a burst of laughter that was swallowed up by the noise of the departing carriage, carrying the future Baron of Mirandol off to further grand adventures.
Today, a couple resides at the Château de L'Estampe during the summer season, taking care to restore what was once the famous castle of Guillaume de Périer, known as the "Baron of Mirandol." The single-flight staircase, the grand 18th-century fireplace, the frescoes, the coats of arms, as well as the vegetable garden a bit higher up where the small path connecting to the Bleymard road passes, are all being preserved.
The multi-hectare estate is covered in woods and meadows where, for lunch, the gentleman and his friend went out to forage for porcini mushrooms while the ladies enjoyed the sunshine and prepared the aperitif.
Thanks to them for allowing me to discover a glimpse into the life of Guillaume, master of L'Estampe, with his pear tree coat of arms on a gold field, and the rich history of this tiny, secluded village in Lozère!