c. 1800-1845 Archive of Legal Documents About the Court Case Fought Between the Garnier de Falletans and Marquis de Falletans Families Over Use of the Falletans Name

On offer is an outstanding collection of documents concerning the French noble family of de Falletans, which traces its roots back to the mid-11th century. 

The family title derives from the village of Falletans in eastern France in the France-Comte region, around the town of Dole. First historical references date from 1040 when the name in its current form is used. The region had been divided into several fiefs including Falletans.

The first historical reference to a 'family of Falletans' is de Vautravers in 1494. At some point, the family was granted the title Marquis de Falletans. In the mid-1500's, a local farmer named Antoine Garnier obtained a neighbouring fiefdom, within the vicinity of the village of Fallentans. In time the family altered their name to Garnier de Falletans. Several hundred years later, this would blow up into a protracted legal dispute over the name 'Falletans'. The final result was a declaration by the Royal Court in Besancon that indeed the Garnier family could use the name Garnier de Fallentans. The family does so to this day. The family line of the original Marquis de Fallentans in the meantime appears to have died out.

These documents seemingly relate to this court case. In some instances, they reach back as far as 1260 as shown in the first document of the collection. This document, likely written in or around 1800, references ancestral members of the family:

“de jour de la fete de St. Vincent 1269 Renaud de Falletans, Chevalier ... extract du folio 48 …”

[Translation: on the day of the feast of St. Vincent 1269 Renaud de Falletans, Knight ... extract from folio 48 …]

These feasts took place in various villages throughout the Burgundy region and continue to this day.

The second document is dated 1806 and was prepared by a lawyer for the family: 

“acte authentique de la liquidation des biens donnes entre par Paul Bonaventure de Fallentans et Mme Sophie [] de [] a leurs enfants Marie Nicolas, Bernard, Ignace et Claude Bomarine de Falletans”. 

[Translation: authentic act of the liquidation of the goods given between by Paul Bonaventure de Fallentans and Mme Sophie [] de Klinglin to their children Marie Nicolas, Bernard, Ignace and Claude Bomarine de Falletans]. 

It is Marie-Nicholas who filed the court case against the Garnier family over use of the name.

The third document was drafted in 1812 and is a detailed listing of the family's holdings. It contains over 200 separate items. It begins:

“etat de tous les champs portes sur les etat et sections apporteur a M de Falletans a Busy avec les noms et les [] de leus de qui il les treset et les impositions qu'ils payeurs”. 

[Translation: state of all the fields on the estate and sections contributed to M. de Falletans in Busy with the names and [] of the people from whom they are owned and the taxes they paid]. 

The fourth document was drafted in 1843. It is a detailed description of the family's history and is intended to establish the right of the family to the exclusive use of the name Falletans and includes references to their lands, appointments and arms. The document is signed and dated by the Marquis de Falletans. It begins:

“Faletans (alias) Falletans Marie-Nicolas, Marquis de Marechal de Camp, Inspecteur des Gardes nationales du Department de Doubs, Directeur du Haras Royal de Blois (Loir-et-Cher), chevalier de Saint-Louis, de la Legion d'Honneur et de Staint-Georges de Franche Comte Faletans (aka) Falletans”.

[Translation: Marie-Nicolas, Marquis of Major General, Inspector of the National Guards of the Department of Doubs, Director of the Royal Stud of Blois (Loir-et-Cher), Knight of Saint-Louis, of the Legion of Honour and of Staint-Georges of Franche Comte].

The fifth document was drawn in 1845. It is a list of persons with whom de Falletans has communicated regarding his dispute with the Garnier family:

“List des personnes aux quelles j'ai adressede mes memoires contre la famille de Garnier de Dole ....”

[Translation: List of persons to whom I have addressed my briefs against the family of Garnier de Dole ....]. 

The sixth pair of documents appear to be simply cover pages for material about the Garnier family, recording birth dates, marriages, etc.

The seventh document is an interesting addition to the collection. It bears the stamp of Despre Rouvea, Avocat (lawyer) and is a detailed description of the case of M. De Falletans. However, this is a clearly marked photocopy. 

The original document however, appears to have been written at the time of the court case, 1843. Although a modern rendition of the document, it offers a complete description of the case.

This is an outstanding collection for several reasons. The de Falletans family is a very old family with roots extending back to the earliest Middle Ages. In fact, the Knights Templar built a Commandery in the mid-1100s, one of whose members, Bernard de Tremblay, rebuilt the city of Gaza during the Crusades.

For a legal historian, it is an excellent look into how the French legal system work in a very specific case during the July Monarchy under Louis-Philippe I.

For a genealogist, the documents are a treasure trove of names and relationships that extend over many generations.

In the end, Marie-Nicolas de Falletans lost his case against the Garnier family. His family line died out with him. The Garnier family kept the suffix de Falletans and the Garnier de Falletans family prospers to this day.

The documents range in size, with the smallest being 8.25” x 6.75” and the largest being 14.25” x 9.25”. The documents are mostly 100% complete. One document is 50% complete and two are 75-80% complete. All are in good condition.