In the news1631
First French newspaper is founded
Théophraste Renaudot founded La Gazette in 1631, which became the first newspaper in France.
Roch Castle, 1630 – Paris, Sep 1658
8 facts3 sources
1630
Born in Roch Castle
19 Apr 1649
A son is born
Sep 1658
Dies in Paris
She lived through 3 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Roch Castle.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1631
Théophraste Renaudot founded La Gazette in 1631, which became the first newspaper in France.
Getting around
Transport via packhorses
Travelers often used packhorses to transport goods, and humble passengers sometimes rode on packsaddles between baskets.
In the news1630–1631
A series of continuous rains in 1630 led to widespread crop failures, causing a severe famine that lasted from August 1630 until May 1631 and caused massive demographic losses.
Daily life
Candles and open fires lit homes
Lighting and cooking relied heavily on fire: people used candles for light and open fires for cooking. Many houses were built close together and often of wood, increasing the risk of fire.
What people wore
Ordinary women's linen smocks
Ordinary women wore smocks as an undergarment, which were loose, all-enveloping linen dresses. These could be made of holland linen for best or coarser fabrics for daily work.
Music
Psalm Books as Treasured Possessions
Commoners and nobility alike cherished psalm books, which were sometimes bound with bibles and could be easily carried in a purse due to their small size.
At the table
Ordinary diets centered on pottage
For poorer people, pottage (a thick vegetable stew) was a main food, alongside bread and vegetables. This diet left many lacking vitamins and iron, and hard times meant hunger when prices rose.