242 



THE CHEVAUCHEE DE ST. MICHEL. 



their pions, and their horses, the aforesaid 9th of June, at seven* 3 * 

 o'clock in the morning at the Court at St. Michel, according to 

 ancient custom, in default of appearance to be subject to such 

 penalties as it shall please the Court to award. And also shall 

 Monsieur le Gouverneur be duly warned, and Thomas iFalla, 

 Esq., Senechal, and Messrs. Jean Mahy and Nicholas Moullin, 

 Vavassors, are nominated by the Court to form a Committee so 

 as to take the necessary measure to regulate the conformity of 

 the said act concerning the dress of the pions. (signed) Jean 

 Ozanne, Greffier." 



Vale Church and Priory in 1817. 



On the above day, conformably to the said Act, all the 

 pions, dressed in the prescribed costume, met at seven o'clock 

 in the morning at the Court of St. Michel, and there also 

 assembled the officers of the Royal Court and the Vavassors 

 who were all mounted on horseback. The King's Officers and 

 the Senechal of St. Michel each had two pions, one on each 

 side of his bridle rein, the Vavassors were only entitled to one. 

 They began with a short inspection and a good breakfast on the 



(3) In the 16th century records of the Chevauchee no definite time of meeting is 

 mentioned, the Court being simply appointed •' au temps et lieu accoutumee." The 

 first mention of a stated hour being in the record for 30th May, 1608, when the 

 Court was summoned to meet at six a.m. This continued to be the hour until 

 1660 when five o'clock was fixed, and this earlier hour lasted until 1705. Then, for 

 many years, the Chevauchee was adjourned, and when it finally did take place in 

 1759, seven o clock was fixed ; in 1768 the Court reverted to six o'clock, and in 1813, 

 as we see, reverted to seven a.m. as the hour for the rendez-vous. 



