Notes on the journals of Gilles de Gouberville

The following is an index of various abbreviations, terms, people, and places appearing in the journals of Gilles de Gouberville, which are being serialized on Live Journal. The text is based on the 1892 edition of the transcription made by the Abbé Tollemer, which is the only published version available.
A few recommended resources:

The ARTFL Project's Dictionnaires d'Autrefois at the University of Chicago.
The wondeful web site of the Comité de Gilles de Gouberville.
The book "Un temps clair comme cristal" by Robert Lerouvillois, Archives Départementales de la Manche, 2002.

Index

Arnoul	one of Goubervilles five illegitimate half-brothers. He was the depensier for the manor of Mesnil au Val -- the depense or Office being the pantry where food, linens, etc. are stored in a manor.
aud.	audit. "to the said". See "ledit"
Birette	a family of peasants based at Tocqueville, including Martin (father) and sons. Gaultier (son) was one of the regular salaried employees of the manor farm at Mesnil au Val, and seemed to the primary sower.
boisseaulx	"bushel" -- a unit of measure of approximately 12.5 litres.
Brix, Bris	Brix was a huge forested area that stretched between Cherbourg and Valognes. The forest was a major resource, and the location of ironworks and glassworks that depended on plentiful amounts of charcoal for their operations.
Cantepye	Thomas Langlois, the Sieur de Cantepye. Gouberville's constant companion, eventually married to Gouberville's illegitimate half-sister, Guillemette.
Chandeleur	a local family with several members who occasionally appear with the surname of Toutdoux, partly Guillaume Chandeleur (who is often referred to only as Chandeleur.) Guillaume was a bailiff of the royal justice and often worked with Gouberville because of his office in the Waters and Forests. He was assassinated in 1558 while performing his duties.
d.	denier. See "money of account".
damoyselle	unlike today, "demoiselle" and "mademoiselle" are not used especially to refer to unmarried women. It is a term of respect for any noble lady; almost everyone addressed that way in the journal is married, except in the case of some very high-ranking ladies. [Lerouvillois]
disner	"Dinner" is the mid-day meal, one "dines" then. It is the major meal of the day. The evening meal is "supper" and one "sups" then.
Drouet	a family of peasants at Mesnil au Val, who appear constantly in the journal, especially Thomas but also his brothers Nichollas (Collas) and Francoys.
eaux-et-forests	Gouberville had a royal office, Lieutenant of Waters and Forests for his region, which he inherited from his father. His one and only trip to court was to present a petition for a promotion to the position of Master of Waters and Forests (which was never acted upon). This position gave him some jurisdiction over matters concerning what we would now consider public land and natural resources.
escu	écu, a coin worth about 3 livres, more or less. See "money of account"
fossé	the word <i>fossé</i> normally means "ditch" or moat, but Lerouvillois says that the Normans used raised berms to enclose and separate their fields, and that this terms should be taken to describe such an arrangement. However, one assumes that to raise a berm, one needs to dig some dirt from somewhere and pile it up. So it is probably a combination of both, like the glacis of a fortification.
Freret, Jehan	a priest of Mesnil au Val who acted as vicar for the parish, backing up priests Jacques and Jehan Auvrey. He appears to have been imprisoned for a secret marriage in 1553. [Lerouvillois]
Gaillard	the peasant family to whom the farm of Gouberville was leased.
Girard, Thomas	a tailor from Digoville
Gouberville	Although Gilles Picot was the Sire de Gouberville, the paternal property from which he took his name, he lived mostly at Mesnil au Val, a property inherited from his mother. The farm at Gouberville was let to the Gaillard family. Later in life he inherited a couple of other properties from his uncle.
Groult	a large family of peasants from Mesnil-au-Val. Gouberville was godfather to one of them.
Guillemette	Gouberville's illegitimate half-sister. She eventually married Cantepye, but did not live long, dying in childbirth in 1559.
Jacques	one of Gouberville's five illegitimate half-brothers.
Jehan	one of Gouberville's five illegitimate half-brothers.
La Joye	surname of Jacques Maillard, Gouberville's lacquais -- his valet and confidential servant. He eventually married Gouberville's illegitimate daughter, Michelle.
led.	abbreviation for "ledit" or "ledits" -- "the said." French writing of the time period is full of this expression and its variants.
money of account	Gouberville records his income and expenses using "money of account." The French money system was based on relative values of 20 deniers to one sol (sou in modern French), 12 sols to one livre. The ratios go back to ancient Rome and the relative value of copper, silver, and gold, and were reflected in the English money system also (20 pennies to one shilling, 12 shillings to one pound). However, these values are distinct from the actual coinage which is used for buying and selling. Coins may be struck to different values -- for example, a teston was worth 10 sols, an écu typically worth 3 livres, although values fluctuated. Foreign coins are frequently in circulation also. Normalizing their value into money of account made it easier to keep accounts. For an excellent introduction to French money see "France in the Sixteenth Century" by Frederic J. Baumgartner.
new year	In the Cotentin region of Normandy, the new year began on March 25. However, this varied from place to place in France and could be different two villages away. The other popular choices were Easter, Christmas, and January 1. In 1564 Charles IX declared that the new year would begin on January 1 all over France, but it took some time for the change to be adopted. The Gregorian calendar reform was adopted in in December of 1582 (Dec 9 followed by Dec 20).
Noël	one of Gouberville's five illegitimate half-brothers.
raiere	a "load" -- a unit of measure applied to oats and the like, equivalent to what a pack horse can carry. About 100 kg.
s.	sol, solx, sou. See "money of account"
Sainct-Naser, Monsieur de	Gouberville's brother-in-law, married to his (legitimate) sister Renée.
salle	the main hall of a country manor. For more info, see "Life in the French Country House", by Marc Girouard.
Symonnet	One of Gouberville's illegitimate, half-brothers, who seems to have been his favorite. He eventually obtained papers of legitimation after Gouberville's death, and was entitled to call himself Symonnet de Gouberville, even though that property had been inherited by Gouberville's niece.
Tourengeau	a student from Touraine, who stopped at Mesnil au Val in March of 1553 and stayed for two years, without ever giving Gouberville his full name.He is referred to as "Francoys le Tourengeau" and just "le Tourangeau"
tremoys	a mixture of grains, recorded in one source as oats, barley, and vetch and in another as wheat, rye, oats, and vetch, typically for animal feed.
Ventes	various fields around Mesnil au Val, including Clos-des-Ventes, La Haute Vente, La BasseVente, La Petitie Vente, etc.