1727 Handwritten Legal Note of Noble Navy Officer from the d'Estienne Family

On offer is a fascinating example of both a legal document and the handwriting script of 18th century France involving an Admiral of the French Navy.

This legal note appears to have been folded and perhaps served as a cover note to a file. It references a legal action between Jean-Baptiste Barthélémy Thomas, Comte d’Orves and one Francis Balthayard Balalard Bourg. The specifics of the case are not detailed.

Jean-Baptiste Barthélémy Thomas, Comte d’Orves was born to the d’Estienne family, a noble house of Provence. He served in the French Navy, rising to the rank of Captain. d’Estienne d'Orves took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, captaining the 74-gun Actif. In 1778, d’Estienne d'Orves took command of the 80-gun Orient. Leading a French naval squadron in the Indian Ocean, he was given the authority, but not the rank, of a Rear Admiral. He died at sea in 1782.

The d’Estienne family has been a noble family since the 1400’s. Divided into 4 branches, members have served with distinction in France’s armed forces over the centuries. One of its most distinguished members was Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves, a French Navy officer who has often been referred to as the "first martyr of Free France" and one of the major heroes of the French Resistance. After the fall of France to the Nazi’s, d’Estiennes left the his naval base in Alexandria and led a group of volunteers, sailing around Africa to England, where he joined General Charles De Gaulle. He then joined the French Resistance where he successfully built intelligence networks. Betrayed by a French traitor, he was captured by the Gestapo. He was tortured and executed by the Germans in August 1941.

Our informal research has not found any biographical information about Bourg.

For a historian, this small legal note is a fascinating connection to one of France’s prominent military families with connections that reach back to the 18th century and yet also to modern-day events in the 20th century.

This small document measures 7.25 inches by 4.75 inches. The double-sided document is handwritten and complete, including a seal representing either a tax or stamp fee or a legal registration.. The paper is in good condition with some ‘feathering’ along the edges. The handwriting is in the typical cursive Ronde and difficult to read in places.