A Parc-aux-Cerfs (literally, stag

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

), in France, was generally the name given to the clearings that provided

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

fields for the French

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

prior to the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. The name is most notoriously known in history for an area in the grounds of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

and a house there owned by

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

, where his secret mistresses were accommodated, being taken from there to the palace to visit the king. The house was small and discreet. According to the myth, the arrangement was supervised by the king's official mistress,

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rem ...

, who remained close to him, but no longer had a physical relationship with him.

Nancy Mitford Nancy Freeman-Mitford (28 November 1904 – 30 June 1973), known as Nancy Mitford, was an English novelist, biographer, and journalist. The eldest of the Mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the "bright young things" on the London ...

states in her ''Madame de Pompadour'' (1968 revised edition) that " hehad nothing whatever to do with it". The lovers were in fact recruited by the king's chamber servant,

Dominique Guillaume Lebel Dominique Guillaume Lebel (1696–1768) or also Le Bel, was first chamber servant, or ''valet-de-chambre'', of king Louis XV of France.Patrick Wald Lasowski, L'Amour au temps des libertins, Editions First-Gründ, 2011 He is mainly known in history ...

.Patrick Wald Lasowski, L'Amour au temps des libertins, Editions First-Gründ, 2011 Between 1752 and 1768, many women and girls lived in the house, often more than one at a time, many of whom are unidentified. Among the famous lovers of the Parc-aux-Cerfs were Marie-Louise O'Murphy (in 1752–1755) with her sister Brigitte O'Murphy (1755–1757); Jeanne-Marguerite de Niquet "Mme Véron de Séranne" (1754); Marie Louise de Marny, Madame de Giambone (1758); Marguerite-Catherine Haynault (1759–1762); Lucie-Madeleine d'Estaing (1760–1763); Louise-Jeanne de Tiercelin de La Colleterie (1762–1765); Marie-Thérèse Boisselet (1768); Jeanne-Marguerite Salvetat "Madame Mars" (1768) and, finally

Madame du Barry Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last '' maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly bei ...

(1768). The house was sold in 1771.

References

French nobility Louis XV Versailles {{France-hist-stub