In the news1738
Introduction of road labor corvee
In 1738, the crown introduced the corvee, a system of forced labor requiring peasants to build and maintain the royal roads.
Les Isles-Bardel, 21 Jun 1739 – Les Isles-Bardel, 18 Jan 1822
6 facts1 source
21 Jun 1739
Born in Les Isles-Bardel
1774
Equerry
18 Jan 1822
Dies in Les Isles-Bardel, aged 82
He lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Les Isles-Bardel.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1738
In 1738, the crown introduced the corvee, a system of forced labor requiring peasants to build and maintain the royal roads.
At the table
Bread as the Foundation of Daily Meals
The staple of the ordinary diet was bread, often consumed as a soup by soaking pieces in water, broth, or vegetable mixtures. This meal structure, centered on a starchy base accompanied by secondary savory foods, remained remarkably stable for centuries.
What people wore
Carefully Patched Clothing
Respectable poor individuals often wore carefully patched cast-off clothing, where the patches were chosen to match the original faded fabric.
Getting around
Travel by mule
A trip between San Remo and Genoa over 90 miles could take three days on muleback due to narrow, rugged mountain paths.
What it cost
High cost of basic food
Meat was a luxury item; a single kilogram of beef, veal, or mutton could cost two days of labor for an ordinary worker. In 1725, due to shortages, the price of bread rose significantly, sometimes costing up to four days of work to afford a kilogram.
Music
Public concert series started in Paris
Starting in 1725, Parisians could attend public concerts organized by the Concert Spirituel society, which performed in the Tuileries Gardens when the Opéra was closed for religious festivals.
Daily life
Limited schooling for rural children
Many rural parishes lacked schools entirely, and for those that existed, instruction was often limited to basic reading, writing, and the catechism. It was common for the local parish priest to conduct classes, though schooling for girls was significantly rarer than for boys.