Jules Joseph Rohu 1726-1773
Family
Jules Joseph was born in Plouharnel on October 20, 1726. He was the son of Vincent Rohu and Agathe Le Baron. In 1757, aged 30, he married Louise Le Bagousse, the day before her 16th birthday. Her young age required the double authorisation of Monseigneur the bishop of Vannes and the judge of the Royal Jurisdiction of Auray.
They had eight children. Two of them (Louise and Michel Thomas) died in infancy, while five in all took an active part in the Chouannerie. Tragically, Jules Joseph drowned at sea on the 9th April, 1773. He was 47 years’ old. His youngest son, Joseph, was born about three months after his death.
They had eight children. Two of them (Louise and Michel Thomas) died in infancy, while five in all took an active part in the Chouannerie. Tragically, Jules Joseph drowned at sea on the 9th April, 1773. He was 47 years’ old. His youngest son, Joseph, was born about three months after his death.
In the year of grace 1773, on the 6th day of April, was buried in the cemetery of this parish the body of JJR, syndic of the navy, deceased yesterday in the village of Pont-Neuf, husband of Louise Le Bagousse, aged about 46, provided with all the sacraments.
Syndic of the navy classes
Jules Joseph worked as a syndic of the navy classes and as a merchant. In the late 17th century, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Minister of the Navy and the Colonies, reorganised the French merchant navy. Merchantmen and others called upon by their profession to serve on the king's ships were divided into "classes". All had to be registered on the rolls kept by a commissioner who was assisted in the parishes by a syndic.
As a syndic of the navy classes, Jules Joseph witnessed and reported on two of the most famous shipwrecks in the history of Plouharnel, that of the Mentor and the Duchesse d'Aiguillon.
As a syndic of the navy classes, Jules Joseph witnessed and reported on two of the most famous shipwrecks in the history of Plouharnel, that of the Mentor and the Duchesse d'Aiguillon.
The shipwrecks of the Mentor and the Duchesse d'Aguillon
On the 8th and 9th January 1765, two ships ran aground on the coast of Plouharnel. One, the Mentor, was engaged in triangular trade (see below) and belonged to a rich shipowner from Nantes. It was an imposing vessel of 200 tonnes. Returning from Santo Domingo, in the Carribbean, it was loaded with timber and carried a real "treasure"- boxes filled with 30,000 piastres, Spanish silver coins. The other, the Duchesse d'Aiguillon, of more modest proportions (about 100 tonnes), was loaded with sugar, coffee, indigo, cotton and lengths of red wood. The crews were miraculously rescued and, after many ups and downs, almost the entire "treasure" was recovered.
On 8th January, while carrying out his morning inspection, Jules Joseph noticed the two ships in difficulty caught in the storm. After the Mentor ran aground, he requisitioned twelve riflemen and volunteers to stand guard over the wreck to prevent any looting. On 9th January, at 1.30 am, he sent a letter by express to Monsieur de Lépinay, lieutenant of the Admiralty of Vannes. This precious letter is reproduced on this page. You can view a transcript here.
Two commissioners immediately dispatched to the scene by Monsieur de Lépinay affirmed the emergency arrangements made by Jules Joseph. He collected some of the Duchess d'Aiguillon's objects left behind in his "shop" in Plouharnel. During the auctions of the recovered objects and the wreck timbers (4th and 26th February 1765), he acquired several lots including a canoe from the Mentor and, most importantly, the hull of the Duchesse d'Aiguillon for the handsome sum of 900 pounds (approximately 17,000 euros).
Two commissioners immediately dispatched to the scene by Monsieur de Lépinay affirmed the emergency arrangements made by Jules Joseph. He collected some of the Duchess d'Aiguillon's objects left behind in his "shop" in Plouharnel. During the auctions of the recovered objects and the wreck timbers (4th and 26th February 1765), he acquired several lots including a canoe from the Mentor and, most importantly, the hull of the Duchesse d'Aiguillon for the handsome sum of 900 pounds (approximately 17,000 euros).
The story does not end there. On 7 February 2001, on the beach of Penthièvre, municipal workers busy cleaning up the rocks following the sinking of the oil tanker Erika, discovered the remains of a wreck. This enigmatic wreck lent itself to much speculation in the local press and national press. Archaeologists dispatched to the site eventually concluded that it was the remains of the hull of the Duchesse d'Aiguillon - the very ship that Jules Joseph had bought nearly 250 years earlier!
Triangular trade
Triangular trade consisted of Europeans bringing cheap goods to Africa (weapons, wine, glassware, "pacotille", etc.) These were exchanged on the spot for black slaves who were transported to the American colonies where they were sold in exchange for raw materials spices, sugar, tobacco, coffee, etc. In the 18th century, Nantes was the most important slave trade port in France. The captain of the Mentor had negotiated the purchase of 455 slaves in Guinea in exchange for cheap goods. In all, 126 of these slaves perished during the voyage to the Americas. The ship was approaching its home port when it was caught in a storm and driven towards the coast of Plouharnel.