“Farres of Barbadoes” by J. Pinder Farre – Lady Day 1889

The following tradition was repeated to his children by John Richard Farre, my father (born 1775), but he never stated to any of them the source from which he derived it:-

"That, in consequence of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, two brothers, Richard and John, members of the family of the Marquis: de la Farre, Chateau d'Ecosse, Department of the Charente, made their escape from the South of France in a ship bound for the French West Indian Islands, but not daring to land on French soil, went to Barbadoes, carrying with a little money, plate, and jewellery, all they could save from the wreck of their property.

One of them having acquired previously a knowledge of the healing art, it was employed as a means of support. These two brothers stated that they were in perfect ignorance as to the fate of the rest of their family."

The following observations may be made on the above tradition:-

That these brothers lived in Barbadoes for a time together, and that Richard Farre settled there permanently and had issue in 1709-10 John Farre, is beyond all question. The tradition seems to imply that the brothers had come to man's estate before their flight. Assuming, therefore, that Richard Farre was only twenty years of age in 1685, the year of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., he would have been at least forty-four years of age before his only child was born. This, in a tropical climate, seems unlikely. The brothers were always spoken of as Richard and John Farre, hence it is believed that Richard was the elder of the two, and therefore would have been probably much older than twenty years old at the time of emigration.

These circumstances alone, however, do not render this descent impossible, but it is further to be remarked that the escutcheon of the Marquis la Farre, or Fare, is thus quoted in the Armorial-General:- Rietstap. 1861 (Athenaeum Library), "Fare (la) Marquis 1646, D'azure atrois flambeaux d'or, allumes de gu." In other words, "On a blue ground, three golden torches flamed red."

_____________________________________________________________________________

Societe de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Francais, 54 Rue de Saint Peres, F75007 PARIS 7e FRANCE.

Madame E C Sparkman 21 Surrey Rd East London 5201 SOUTH AFRICA

26 February 1969

Madame, I am very pleased with the results I have obtained in the search for information about your ancestors and I hope that you, too, will be pleased.

First of all, I thought your letter would be impossible to answer because the illustrious family of the Marquis de La Farre has always been Catholic and it seems that they had no connections witt Charante

On the other hand, the name La Fare is a name very well known and popular among the nobility of the old days. The property of Seigneur de La Fare was called La Fare.

You mention the Chateau d' Ecosse in Charante. 'The Postal Directory of 1854 which gives the names of all the villages in France shows: Ecossat, 39 inhabitants, a hamlet in the Commune of Mazerolles, 12 from Chasseneuil.

Searching on the map of today I find Cussat, which is the same village. It was spelt Ecosse in the 18th Century, Ecossat in the 19th Century and Cussat today.

This area is definitely an old Protestant region and the families under the patronage of the very important family of de La Rochefoucauld. If your ancestors came from Cussat you should find them registered the Reformed Church of de La Rochefoucald, which you will find in Archives of Charente in Angouleme.

Victor Bugeaud, the author of a book on the Protestants of Angoumois written in 1860 indicates that 1431 were baptised between 1608 and 1663. He mentions the principal names of families but not La Fare. Is La Fare the true name of your family or maybe the name of a farm in this area? One would have to examine the Baptismal Registers to trace the name.

Another possibility, of course, is the one of the coat-of-arms. I could if you wish, enquire through the medium of a paper specialising in genealogical investigation in France.

These are all the particulars I am able to give. I hope you are very satisfied.

Yours fai thfully

(signed) Denis Vatinel - Pasteur.