Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval ('' fl'' 1515–1542) was a French noblewoman who spent some years

marooned Marooned may refer to: * Marooning, the intentional act of abandoning someone in an uninhabited area Film and television * ''Marooned'' (1933 film), a British drama film * ''Marooned'' (1969 film), an American science-fiction film * ''Marooned ...

on the Île des Démons while on her way to

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...

(Quebec). She became well known after her subsequent rescue and return to France; her story was recounted in the ''

Heptaméron The ''Heptaméron'' is a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549), published posthumously in 1558. It has the form of a frame narrative and was inspired by ''The Decameron'' of Giovanni Boccaccio ...

'' by Queen Marguerite of Navarre, and in later histories by

François de Belleforest François de Belleforest (1530 – 1 January 1583) was a prolific French author, poet and translator of the Renaissance. He was born in Samatan (actual department of Gers), into a poor family, and his father (a soldier) was killed when he was s ...

and

André Thévet André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

. Her story has been retold many times since 1560.

Early life

Marguerite de La Rocque's place and date of birth are unknown, but records attest to her declaration of

fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin ''fidelitas'' (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fea ...

and

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

in 1536 for her lands in

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; oc, Peiregòrd / ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is div ...

and

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

. She was co- seigneuress of Pontpoint, with relative

Jean-François de La Rocque de Roberval Jean-François is a French given name. Notable people bearing the given name include: * Jean-François Carenco (born 1952), French politician * Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832), French Egyptologist * Jean-François Clervoy (born 1958), Fr ...

, a nobleman

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

favoured by

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

. (The exact relationship remains unclear.

André Thevet André Thevet (; ; 1516 – 23 November 1590) was a French Franciscan priest, explorer, cosmographer and writer who travelled to the Near East and to South America in the 16th century. His most significant book was ''The New Found World, or A ...

claimed Roberval was her uncle, while

indicated they were brother and sister.Leslie & Seagrave, p. 544 Historian Elizabeth Boyer suggests they were in fact cousins.)

Voyage and marooning

The Isle of Demons is reputedly off the east coast of Quebec, in an area known as the Lower North Shore. Local folklore indicates that the Island is now known as Harrington Harbour. This is detailed in the work of Elizabeth Boyer. In 1541 Roberval was made

Lieutenant General of New France Lieutenant General of New France was the military post that governed early New France (including the early colonies in Acadia and Quebec) from 1598 until 1627. Before 1598, the office was briefly occupied from 1541 to 1543. The office was replac ...

, and the following year set out for the New World, accompanied by Marguerite, who was still young and unmarried. During the journey, she became the lover of a young man. Displeased with his young relative's actions, Roberval left Marguerite on the "

Isle of Demons The Isle of Demons is a phantom island once associated with Quirpon Island, Newfoundland, in Canada. It was generally shown as two islands. It began appearing on maps in the beginning of the 16th century and disappeared in the mid-17th century. ...

", While possibly motivated by his strong

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

morals, it is likely he was also driven by financial greed, since his debts were high, and Marguerite's death would be to his benefit.Leslie & Seagrave, p. 124 Also marooned were Marguerite's lover, and her maidservant Damienne. In the ''Heptaméron'', the Queen of Navarre claims the lover was set down first, with Marguerite opting to join him; Thevet claims the young man swam to join Marguerite. Marguerite's lover is intentionally unidentified in early histories; while presented in the Queen of Navarre's work as an unskilled labourer, this was, in part, to hide his identity, preserving the reputation of his aristocratic family. While it is unlikely she was pregnant when first abandoned, Marguerite gave birth to a child while on the island. The baby died, as did the young man and the maidservant. It is possible the baby died due to insufficient milk, Marguerite's diet being poor.Leslie & Seagrave, p. 545 Marguerite survived by hunting wild animals, and was rescued by Basque fishermen some years later. The "Island of Demons" (or spirits) is part of a group later known as the Isles de la Demoiselle, presumably after her (French ''demoiselle'' means "young lady"); specifically, the island is believed to be the one now known as Caribou Island, off of Saint Paul's River.

Later life

Returning to France after her rescue, Marguerite achieved some celebrity when her story became known. She became a schoolmistress, and settled in

Nontron Nontron (; oc, Nontronh ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Dordogne Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. History The name Nontron probably derives from the Gallo-Roman personal name ''Nantironius ...

,Leslie & Seagrave, p. 132 living in Chateau de La Mothe. There is no record of any action or charges brought by her against Roberval. Her death date and place is unrecorded. (Roberval died in 1560.)

Literary representations

Marguerite's story was first recorded by

Marguerite de Navarre Marguerite de Navarre (french: Marguerite d'Angoulême, ''Marguerite d'Alençon''; 11 April 149221 December 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen ...

, sister of the king of France, in her work ''

'' (published posthumously in 1558), in

's ''Histoires tragiques'' (5th volume, 1570) and

's ''Cosmographie (1575)''. The Queen of Navarre's account of Marguerite's adventures was a romantic tale, based on information provided by "Captain Roberval"; Thevet, who claimed he was told the story by the cast-away herself, offered more precise details, describing the journey, the colonists on board the ships, and the location of the Île des Démons. Text comparisons show that Thevet was, at least, familiar with the Queen's and de Belleforest's earlier accounts.Schlessinger & Stabler, p. xxiii In addition to her early chroniclers, Marguerite de la Rocque's story has provided inspiration for several modern writers. One of the first was Irish-born, Montreal-based

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

, who in 1887 published a long

narrative poem Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be s ...

entitled "The Legend of Marguerite". (Martin is now little-known, but he was apparently a friend of

Charles Heavysege Charles Heavysege (May 2, 1816 – July 14, 1876) was a Canadian poet and dramatist. He was one of the earliest poets to publish in Canada. He is known for his critically acclaimed play ''Saul''.David James O'Donoghue as "one of the leading poets of Canada".). In 1949, Dinah Silveira de Queiroz published '' Margarida La Rocque: a ilha do demônios'', inspired by Thevet's ''Cosmography''; the Brazilian novel was translated into Spanish and French. In 1960,

George Woodcock George Woodcock (; May 8, 1912 – January 28, 1995) was a Canadian writer of political biography and history, an anarchist thinker, a philosopher, an essayist and literary critic. He was also a poet and published several volumes of travel wri ...

composed a

verse play Verse drama is any drama written significantly in verse (that is: with line endings) to be performed by an actor before an audience. Although verse drama does not need to be ''primarily'' in verse to be considered verse drama, significant portio ...

for

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

entitled ''The Island of Demons''. In 1975, historian Elizabeth Boyer wrote the novel ''Marguerite de la Roque: A Story of Survival''; and in 1983, ''A Colony of One: The History of a Brave Woman''. In 1995, Donald Wilson Stanley Ryan republished George Martin's ''The Legend of Marguerite'', over a century after its appearance, adding an explanatory introduction for the

Breakwater Books Breakwater Books Ltd. is a Canadian publishing company based in Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, pr ...

edition. Charles Goulet's novel was entitled ''The Isle of Demons'' (2000), and Joan Elizabeth Goodman wrote a novel for young adults in 2002, entitled ''Paradise''. In 2003, Douglas Glover published ''Elle: A Novel'', which won that year's Governor's General book prize.

Robert Chafe Robert Chafe (born 1971)
''Waterfront Views: Contemporary Writing of Atlantic Canada''. is a

wrote a bilingual play ''Isle of Demons'', first produced in 2004. Canadian poet

bpNichol Barrie Phillip Nichol (30 September 1944 – 25 September 1988), known as bpNichol, was a Canadian poet, writer, sound poet, editor, Creative Writing teacher at York University in Toronto and grOnk/Ganglia Press publisher. His body of work enc ...

depicted her in his poem "lament". The British writer

Sara Maitland Sara Maitland (born 27 February 1950) is a British writer of religious fantasy. A novelist, she is also known for her short stories. Her work has a magic realist tendency. Life and career Sarah (later "Sara") Louise Maitland was born in London ...

discusses the story in ''A Book of Silence'' (2008) and in a short story, "The Tale of the Valiant Demoiselle," in ''Far North and Other Dark Tales'' (2008). (Maitland, one of the few non-Canadians to take up the tale, also mentions a 1916 narrative poem by Isabel Mackay). Also in 2008, Annamarie Beckel wrote ''Silence of Stone'' (Breakwater Books), a novel which switches between Marguerite on the island and Marguerite as headmistress. In 2016,

Theatre Passe Muraille Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brief history One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theatre beyond walls") was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Gar ...

produced a play called ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' (''She''), an adaptation by Severn Thompson of Glover's novel.

In popular media

*The story of Marguerite's marooning on the Isle of Demons was the subject of an episode of

Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. He also wr ...

's "Heritage Theatre" television series broadcast on CBC in 1986/1987. Marguerite was played by Terri Hawkes and the series was written by Lister Sinclair and directed by Nigel Napier-Andrews. *Claims that Marguerite and her lover's ghosts still haunt

Quirpon Island Quirpon Island is a small Canadian island off the northeastern tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at the southeastern edge of the Strait of Belle Isle, south of Belle Isle. ...

was featured in an episode of ''

Creepy Canada ''Creepy Canada'' is a Canadian television series that aired on OLN. It focused on paranormal activities around Canada. The show first premiered on October 23, 2002 and began its third season on May 5, 2006. With the third season, the show's sco ...

''. Creepy Canada, 3.2 The Grave of Edgar Allan Poe *

The Once The Once is a folk trio based in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. The group features Geraldine Hollett on lead vocals and vocalist-instrumentalists Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale playing a variety of instruments. The group performs a mix of ori ...

2009 "Marguerite", performed at the Ship Pub, St John's, N

* Aengus Finnan 1999 "The Ballad of Marguerite de la Roche", from the album 'Fool's Gold

Notes

References

* Leslie, Edward E.; Seagrave, Sterling; (1998) ''Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors'', Houghton Mifflin Books, , excerpts availabl
online
*Schlesinger, Roger; Stabler, Arthur Phillips; Thevet, Andre; (1986) '' André Thevet's North America: a sixteenth-century view'', McGill-Queen's Press, , excerpts availabl
online

External links

Biography
at the ''

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a ...

Online''
Poem by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay entitled "Marguerite De Roberval"
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Rocque, Marguerite de Castaways People of New France French exiles 15th-century French people 15th-century French women 16th-century French people 16th-century French women