} Philippe d'Auvergne (13 November 1754 – 18 September 1816) was a British naval officer and the adopted son of

Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne (Godefroy Charles Henri; 26 January 1728, Paris – 3 December 1792) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the Sovereign Dukes of Bouillon. He was subsequently the penultimate Duke of Bouillon succee ...

the sovereign

Duke of Bouillon The Duchy of Bouillon (french: Duché de Bouillon) was a duchy comprising Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium. The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. ...

. He chose a career in the Royal Navy that spanned a period of history where Great Britain was at the centre of wars and empire building and took him from Boston and the War of Independence to espionage with French Royalists; prisoner of war to shipwrecked; all this whilst hoping to become a Walloon ruler or, at least, heir to a princely fortune.

Early life

Philippe D'Auvergne was born in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

, where his family had lived for four centuries. His mother Elizabeth, the daughter of Philip Le Geyt, died giving birth to him. His father, Charles, was an ex-British Army officer, advisor to British Cabinet Committees and aide-de-camp to various Governors; they included

John Huske Lieutenant General John Huske (ca 1692 – 18 January 1761) was a British military officer whose active service began in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession and ended in 1748. During his early career, he was a close associate of the E ...

, Governor from 1749 to 1761, who left Charles £2,000 when he died in January 1761. His younger half brother, Corbet James D'Auvergne (born 1767), also joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, and was associated with

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

. D'Auvergne was educated in Jersey, then England and France. He was fluent in French and English and had a mathematical mind, later to be used in various scientific studies and research. Much of his youth was spent sailing around the coast of Jersey.Balleine, (1973)

Navy

D'Auvergne joined the

, and became a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

in 1770. He was trained aboard the Royal Yacht , under the command of Captain John Campbell. The Royal Yacht was used as a training vessel, for picked men. This was far easier than the usual training on a

man-of-war The man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship or frigate from the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed wi ...

. Accounts of Philippe's life put this down to

Earl Howe Earl Howe is a title that has been created twice in British history, for members of the Howe and Curzon-Howe family respectively. The first creation, in the Peerage of Great Britain, was in 1788 for Richard Howe, but became extinct on his ...

, later Vice Admiral of England and First Lord of the Admiralty. Howe had befriended Charles d'Auvergne, whilst commanding the flotilla stationed at Jersey during 1756. Philippe's next vessel was , where he is reported as meeting Empress Catherine of Russia; and on a return trip was influenced by a French scientific team at Copenhagen. Throughout this time Philippe studied mathematics and tried to solve the problem of time keeping and barometric pressure at sea.

Arctic expedition

HMS Carcass and HMS Racehorse searching for the North West Passage in 1773 2003 CSK 09631 0359

During 1773, the Admiralty commissioned an expedition to the Arctic, to further science and knowledge. Two sloops were refitted for the expedition and on 4 June 1773 the and set sail for the North. The

muster roll The term muster means the process or event of accounting for members in a military unit. This practice of inspections led to the coining of the English idiom , meaning being sufficient. When a unit is created, it is "mustered in" and when it is d ...

for ''Racehorse'' lists Philippe d'Auvergne as a midshipman. Onboard ''Carcass'' was a 15-year-old midshipman, named

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

. The expedition failed to find the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...

, but they had sailed further north than any previous expedition, approximately , a position just north of

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

. This and the scientific experiments carried out meant the expedition was a seen as a success. During 1774 d'Auvergne continued his scientific education and also prepared sketches for the journal ''Voyage towards the North Pole'' by Captain

Constantine Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave Constantine John Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave (30 May 1744 – 10 October 1792) was an English explorer and officer in the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, seeing action in a number of b ...

American War of Independence

By 1775 d'Auvergne was assigned to , and he is recorded as discharging to on 27 August 1775. ''Asia'' was assigned to the fleet at

Boston Harbour Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...

, to support British forces against the American militia. D'Auvergne, still a midshipman, was ordered to take charge of one of the boats carrying soldiers to attack Lexington.

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to ale ...

had already warned the Yankees of the attack, resulting in the British force of 800 being reduced by 73 dead and 185 injured by the pursuing American militia. D'Auvergne continued to command boats carrying troops around

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and on 17 June 1775 after transporting troops, watched the ensuing

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

. He was on board one of the ships that bombarded and burnt Falmouth. Appointed acting Lieutenant, D'Auvergne went with the ''Chatham'' which landed troops on Long Island, he was commanding a number of flat bottomed boats with hinged gateways, before crossing to Manhattan Island under fire. D'Auvergne was next assigned to , under the command of Admiral Shuldham, commander of the fleet in Boston Harbour. The Admiral was impressed with this young acting Lieutenant and d'Auvergne was commissioned as a Lieutenant on 2 June 1777 and was given , an eight-gun galley, to command. On 25 October 1777 d'Auvergne captured the ''Delaware'' with a company of Grenadiers; and on 27 May 1778 landed a party of

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

at Fogland Ferry, successfully destroying the guard house.The National Archives (United Kingdom): Colonial Office Correspondence, CO 5/96 By late 1778 France and Spain had signed a treaty of alliance with the American colonies. When French frigates entered Rhode Island, d'Auvergne carried out his written orders and scuttled ''Alarm'' on 30 July 1778. Now ashore, d'Auvergne was made a Major of the Naval Brigade. The court martial of d'Auvergne for the loss of his vessel is reported as being aboard , 28 September 1778. The court martial acquitted d'Auvergne, the British had been forced to scuttle ten vessels in all, including ''Flora''.

Prisoner of war

After returning to England, d'Auvergne was assigned to as

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. On 18 March 1779 ''Arethusa'' fought the French vessel ''Aigrette'' for two hours off

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of governm ...

, but during the engagement a larger French line of battle ship was spotted and ''Arethusa'' broke off. In the dim light she struck a rock off the coast of

Molène Molène () is an island off the west coast of Brittany and one of the Ponant Isles, making it the largest of an archipelago of twenty islands. In tiers of government it is in Finistère, a department of Brittany in north-western France – sp ...

. Of the 200 crew, thirteen escaped, apparently never to be seen again, and the remainder were taken prisoner, and interned in

Carhaix Carhaix-Plouguer (; br, Karaez-Plougêr ), commonly known as just Carhaix (), is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Finistère, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, France.

, Brittany.

Duke of Bouillon

Godefroy Charles Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, the

was looking for someone to adopt as the Duke's only surviving son, Jacques Leopold, was seriously disabled and unable to father an heir to the throne. One choice for an heir was a Breton soldier, Théophile Malo Corret, who claimed descent of an illegitimate half brother to

Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the ...

, the

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

. Theophile was from

and mentioned that a Philippe d'Auvergne was being held prisoner. This chance comment intrigued the Duke, parole was secured and Philippe d'Auvergne travelled in February 1780 to the Château de Navarre in

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. Geography The city is on the Iton river. Climate History In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

to meet the Duke. He was provided with clothes suitable for a Royal Court and in fluent French told the Duke of his adventures to date. Returned to prison, Philippe d'Auvergne was quickly exchanged and returned to England. The Duke had liked him and hired genealogists to link the Jersey Auvergne's with the French principality.

Further naval duties

D'Auvergne was exchanged with French

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

and returned to England in the spring of 1780, In June he was appointed to . During March 1781 ''Lark'' sailed as part of an invasion fleet against the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

under the command of Commodore George Johnston. They were sent to punish the Dutch for their alliance with the French. On 16 April 1781 the fleet stopped at

Porto Praya Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.inconclusive battle the French broke off. After a brief pursuit, Commodore Johnstone chose to stay and make repairs to the damaged ships, enabling the French fleet to reach the Cape first. The British fleet failed to land at the Cape, but they did capture five Dutch

East Indiamen East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

in the "battle" of

Saldanha Bay Saldanha Bay ( af, Saldanhabaai) is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Mu ...

before heading back to England. During this expedition d'Auvergne made a report to Commodore Johnstone of the intelligence that had gathered from her capture on 1 July of the Dutch East Indiaman ''Heldwoltenlade'', which had left Saldanha on 28 June, intelligence that led to the capture of the Dutch ships. Johnstone described d'Auvergne as a "very promising young officer".

Trindade and Martim Vaz

D'Auvergne was promoted on 21 August 1781 to Master and Commander and took command of a ten gun cutter , allowing the former captain of ''Rattlesnake'' to return to London on ''Lark''. On 30 September, ''Rattlesnake'', , and captured the French ship ''Philippine''. The prize money was remitted from Jamaica, suggesting the capture took place in the Caribbean. French records have the capture occurring in the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

. ''Rattlesnake'' and were sent to survey

Trindade and Martim Vaz Trindade and Martim Vaz ( pt, Trindade e Martim Vaz, ) is an archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean about east of the coast of the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, of which it forms a part. The archipelago has a total area of and a ...

, to establish the islands suitability for a base for outward-bound Indiamen. The islands are volcanic with nothing but turtle doves and land crabs. On the evening of 21 October 1781 during a heavy storm, ''Rattlesnake'' lost her anchor rope and in trying to get to sea struck a rock and was run ashore; ''Jupiter'' picked up five sailors. Commodore Johnstone had previously wished to colonise the island and claim it for Britain, so d'Auvergne agreed to stay on the tiny island with 30 sailors, 20 captured French sailors, one woman, some animals and supplies. A supply ship arrived in January 1782 and the news of ''Rattlesnake''s loss arrived in England on 5 February. Then the castaways appear to have been forgotten. D'Auvergne and his people remained on the island until 27 December 1782, when by chance, , escorting

, passed by. d'Auvergne fired distress signals and she rescued the 30 sailors, 20 Frenchmen, and the woman. D'Auvergne and the surviving crew were taken to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, India. A second Court Martial took place regarding the loss of ''Rattlesnake'' and d'Auvergne was absolved of any liability for the loss and commended for the most extraordinary command he had been given by a superior.

India

Whilst in India D'Auvergne met

Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, or Muhammed Ali, Wallajah (7 July 1717 – 13 October 1795), was the Nawab of the Carnatic from 1749 until his death in 1795. He declared himself Nawab in 1749. This position was disputed between Wallajah and Ch ...

, the

Nawab of Arcot The Carnatic Sultanate was a kingdom in South India between about 1690 and 1855, and was under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their demise. They initially had their capital at Arcot in the present-day Indian state of Tamil N ...

. Muhammed had gone into debt helping the British against the French. This caused the British East India Company to claim most of his state, claiming an annual income from the Nawab. The Nawab asked d'Auvergne to make a petition to the King to reclaim his state. D'Auvergne, on his return, made the petition in 1783. The petition was successful and the state returned to the Nawab. It was reported that D'Auvergne married whilst in India, but the

India Office The India Office was a British government department established in London in 1858 to oversee the administration, through a Viceroy and other officials, of the Provinces of India. These territories comprised most of the modern-day nations of I ...

Records held by the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

have no record of a marriage. Although there is a marriage of a Philip d'Auvergne to an Anne Lowrie in 1800, the individual in question was a captain in the army.

Peace

On his return to England d'Auvergne was promoted to

Post-captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of Captain (Royal Navy), captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) ...

, but the peace with France meant demobilisation. Between 1784 and 1787 d'Auvergne spent time travelling and escorted John Townsend son of

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney. He held several important Cabinet posts in t ...

on a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

. D'Auvergne obtained an honorary degree in 1785 and elected Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

on 11 June 1786. In 1787 he was appointed a Revenue officer in Jersey, on board , a post he continued in until 1789 when he asked to be relieved due to ill health. The Duke du Bouillon had now found a way to connect the families, using the reported arrival of the d'Auvergne family in the Channel Islands during the 13th century. In the 14th century Thiébaut d'Auvergne obtained a grant of land in Jersey and the family remained there until the 18th century. In 1787 the adoption was agreed by King George and notices were published in the

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. D'Auvergne was now known as the Prince of Bouillon, and would be Duke of Bouillon if

Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne (Jacques Léopold Charles Godefroy; 15 January 1746 – 7 February 1802) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the sovereign dukes of Bouillon. He was the last Duke of Bouillon succeeding his ...

died without issue. With this new title came an offer of French naturalisation, d'Auvergne rejected this offer, stating he would never betray his sovereign. D'Auvergne visited the Duke in 1790 and found the Duke had married the 14-year-old daughter of his mistress. If this new wife produced a boy, d'Auvergne would not inherit. However, the Duke was not well and officially confirmed d'Auvergne as the Prince-Successor, which George III confirmed on 27 February 1792. The Supreme Council of Bouillon, did not confirm the appointment, stating it did not comply with French law; this would have future consequences. During this period d'Auvergne also assisted Channel Island merchants in securing convoys for their shipping.

French Revolution

In 1793, at the beginning of 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 considere ...

, d'Auvergne was based in London. The Governor of Jersey Alexander Lindsay had opened communications between England and the Royalists. Lindsay was then transferred to Jamaica in 1794.

Administrateur des Secours Accordés aux Émigrés (Administrator of Relief Grants to Emigres)

By 1794, after a petition from the Defence Committee of the Islands, and a letter from d'Auvergne to the Admiralty, he was appointed as commander of the

floating battery A floating battery is a kind of armed watercraft, often improvised or experimental, which carries heavy armament but has few other qualities as a warship. History Use of timber rafts loaded with cannon by Danish defenders of Copenhagen a ...

and Senior of Officer of Gunboats in Jersey. Several gunboats formed his flotilla: , , , and . The ships were not purpose-built men of war, but rather small former Dutch hoys converted to gun-vessels. The crew were mainly from Jersey, as Englishmen did not want to serve on them, there being little opportunity for prize money. Merchants and locals on Jersey provided the money to defray the extra costs to support the flotilla. The vessels were not effective and the Navy withdrew them, selling most. ''Nonesuch'' was paid off in December 1794, but the Navy replaced her with the 16-gun floating battery , which the Navy re-rated as a 28-gun

sixth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and ...

frigate to increase d'Auvergne's salary as her commander and commander of the flotilla. To replace the hoys, d'Auvergne received the services of the

hired armed vessels During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels. These were generally smaller vessels, often cutters and luggers, that the Navy used for duties ranging from carrying and pa ...

''Daphne'', ''Royalist'', and ''Aristocrat''. With this responsibility d'Auvergne was asked, in September 1794, to assume the role Alexander Lindsay had started. A manuscript memorial to the War Office, held by the Library in Jersey, shows his duties as: * To command a division of armed vessels to cover the Islands. * Open communications with the continent, to obtain information on hostile enemy movements. * Maintain communications with the insurgents in Western Provinces. * To distribute succours (''sic''; assistance) to the lay French emigrants in the Islands. In addition to his government duties, d'Auvergne distributed £122,031 of non-government monies to thousands of émigrés who had fled through Jersey, obtaining receipts for every penny spent and passing an audit with praise. He also established a school for the émigré children.

Spymaster in revolutionary era

Provided with £30,000 a month by the secret service of the British government to use to cause unrest in France and to whom he reported directly, the communications with the French Royalists was maintained by a network of spies, and insurgents whilst smuggling arms, ammunition and supplies across the short stretch of water to the French mainland. The authorities in Jersey were suspicious of d'Auvergne who was reporting directly to London and of the émigrés in Jersey at a time of threatened invasion, émigrés were required to wear a white ribbon and obey a curfew. Jersey was an excellent base for d'Auvergne, who erected on a tower, the Prince's tower as it became called, that he had owned since 1754 at

La Hougue Bie La Hougue Bie is a historic site, with museum, in the Jersey parish of Grouville. La Hougue Bie is depicted on the 2010 issue Jersey 1 pound note. Toponymy ''Hougue'' is a Jèrriais/Cotentin variant form of the more common Norman form ''Ho ...

, a signal station, the masts of which could be clearly seen from the French coast. The smuggling of people with forged documents and

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specifi ...

into France together with forged French

Assignat An assignat () was a monetary instrument, an order to pay, used during the time of the French Revolution, and the French Revolutionary Wars. France Assignats were paper money (fiat currency) issued by the Constituent Assembly in France from 1 ...

notes, which were being mass-produced in London with the successful result of causing

hyperinflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimize their holdings in that currency as t ...

which raged in France until 1802. From 1795 he was given complete access to

Mont Orgueil Mont Orgueil ( French for 'Mount Pride') is a castle in Jersey that overlooks the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and ''lé Vièr Châté'' (the Old Castle) by Jèrriais-speakers.The castle is first called 'M ...

castle as a base, this reinforced Gorey harbour as the base for the ships d'Auvergne used to transport people and goods to France, messages were sometimes routed for/from French fishermen through secure drops on isolated rocks or in a lobster pot. Not only was d'Auvergne involved in the administration of

French Emigres French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

who had flocked to Jersey and passing intelligence to London, he also supported the attempted invasion at

Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It ...

. British and émigré forces landed at Quiberon to support the Chouans and the French Royalist and Catholic Armies on 21 July 1795. The invading force was led by General Comte Joseph de Puisaye. Puisaye was under the command of

Comte D'Artois Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

, whilst his second in command,

Louis Charles d'Hervilly Count, Comte Louis Charles d'Hervilly (26 February 1756, Paris – 14 November 1795, London) was a French nobleman and Armée des émigrés, émigré. He was involved in the abortive landing at Invasion of France (1795), Quiberon. His daughter ...

, was under the command of

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

, of the House of Orleans. The invasion started well, the forces landed without incident and they had the element of surprise, but d'Hervilly produced a letter to take command of the force. This fight for command, Puisaye won eventually, allowed the French Republican forces to counterattack and the Royalist forces were forced to retreat. An intercepted report stated that all the men from Quiberon (approximately 750 men) were executed at Auray, these were mainly nobles of Louis XVIII. A chapel now stands on the site, known as Champ des Martyrs. General Puisaye was accused of desertion. Neither d'Auvergne nor the Comte de Puisaye seem to have trusted each other, with Puisaye trying to avoid Jersey, and deliver directly to London. d'Auvergne continued to ask

Henry Dundas Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

if he should send arms to Puisaye. After Puisaye returned to Jersey he retired from the military and headed for Canada. A regular visitor to Jersey was

Georges Cadoudal Georges Cadoudal ( br, Jorj Kadoudal; 1 January 1771 – 25 June 1804), sometimes called simply Georges, was a Breton politician, and leader of the ''Chouannerie'' during the French Revolution. He was posthumously named a Marshal of France in 1 ...

, the Chouan leader implicated in an attempt on Christmas Eve 1800 to assassinate Napoleon Bonaparte, in rue Saint-Nicaise Paris. A barrel of gunpowder concealed in a water cart was detonated as Bonaparte's carriage went by, but it was ignited too late, and the First Consul was only showered with broken glass.

Claims to the throne of Bouillon

First claim to throne of Bouillon

Prince's Tower Jersey Philip John Ouless 1855

D'Auvergne lost the command of Jersey with the peace with France. His role was a wartime role, with peace came a Captain's half pay. He now spent his time in his house and gardens on Jersey, even opening the gardens to the public. His library contained 4,000 volumes, from scientific to classic, to French history. From 1792 he developed a neo-Gothic construction at

known as the Prince's Tower. The mediaevalist architecture of the tower (originally to be called La Tour d'Auvergne as a symbolic motif of his adopted family name) supported both his claims to ancestry and his interest in fashionable architecture of the day. His promotions raised him to Vice Admiral of the Red. In Bouillon the French had annexed the Duchy of Bouillon in 1795, and Duke Godefroy III, died in 1794, his son Jacques Leopold La Tour d'Auvergne inherited the title of Duke. Jacques Leopold died on 3 March 1802 without issue, and Philippe d'Auvergne used the full title and dignity of Duke after this date. After the

Peace of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it se ...

on 25 March 1802, d'Auvergne headed to Paris to fight a claim by another apparent heir, but on his arrival, the French police, knowing of his actions in Jersey, dragged him from his hotel without any charge, or any explanation and threw him in jail. Correspondence from Mr Merry, Ambassador in Paris, complains of the French authorities actions and states that d'Auvergne was held for five days, and when released was given only 24 hours to leave France, a near impossibility at that time. Questions were raised in Parliament, but no further action was taken as they did not wish to upset the latest peace.

Spymaster in Napoleonic era

D'Auvergne returned to Jersey. By 1802 the émigrés had been given a way to return home, as

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

had taken control of France, and granted the émigrés amnesty. Many signed the declaration offered and returned. D'Auvergne continued to collect intelligence from France, including the buildup of forces at Brest, where Bonaparte was massing a force to assist the Irish in their fight against the British. D'Auvergne's ring of spies was diminishing as either they were captured, or signed Napoleon's declaration. In 1803 he was given a 44-gun ''Adventure''-class frigate to reinforce Jersey defences, however it was wrecked next year in a gale. Some of the spies continued to travel across the sea to France, and one was Noel Prigent, experienced in landing in France; he had journeyed across the sea over 150 times. In 1807 d'Auvergne was informed of the Chouans wanting to rise and rebel again, so Prigent and companions were sent to France to gain intelligence. On their arrival they found no signs of a possible uprising or even anyone willing to assist them. All the usual safe houses were closed to them. Prigent and his companions spent a number of weeks travelling around Brittany and living in ditches, and after a number of failed attempts to return to Jersey, one of the companions, Bouchard, gave himself up to the French. Bouchard then led the Secret Police to Prigent and his companions. As soon as Prigent was captured, he gave up every detail he knew about the correspondence, including landing places, codes and safe houses used by d'Auvergne's spies. Bouchard then agreed to return to Jersey and persuade d'Auvergne that he was sent by Prigent. D'Auvergne welcomed him and sent Bouchard back to France with letters to General Puisaye, and further correspondence to Prigent. Bouchard had asked that Comte Vaucouleurs be despatched to France, and shortly afterwards he left for the French coast. He was arrested as soon as he landed. Armand de Chateaubriand followed in September 1808, but it was apparent that everyone was behind Napoleon. No-one would support Chateaubriand, and after a couple of failed attempts to return to Jersey, Chateaubriand was arrested and along with 10 other émigrés shot. The efforts of Bouchard and Prigent to save their own lives also failed, as they were shot on Bonaparte's orders. Even the Comte d'Artois was indicating he should have sole control of the correspondence.The National Archives (United Kingdom) War Office correspondence: WO 1/922 Any hope of a new Royalist revolution was never going to materialise. 1808 saw d'Auvergne promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral and put in charge of naval ships in the Channel Islands although as he was not afloat, could not benefit from prize monies. In 1809 Napoleon confirmed an order to confiscate all assets of the Bouillon family, granting d'Auvergne's

Château de Navarre The Château de Navarre was a château near Évreux in Normandy. The medieval structure was built for Queen Joan II of Navarre and later came into the possession of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne. In 1750 a new Chateau was built possibly incorpor ...

to his divorced wife, Josephine. Promoted to Vice-Admiral, d'Auvergne stood down from his role in 1812, possibly due to ill health, possibly aware of the next period of peace and put on half pay.

Second claim to the throne of Bouillon

In 1814 the Comte d'Artois, of the House of Bourbon, was proclaimed

King Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in e ...

. When d'Auvergne visited him in Paris, the King agreed to support d'Auvergne's claim to the Duchy of Bouillon, due to all the support he had given to the Royalists over the last 20 years. The officials of the Duchy took an oath to d'Auvergne as the 8th ''Duc de Bouillon'' and he was formally declared Prince of Bouillon. On hearing Napoleon had returned to power in 1815, d'Auvergne went to Brussels and marched to war with a small regiment formed in the colours of Bouillon. Nine days before the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, d'Auvergne discovered that the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

, which was allowed by the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

to rewrite the map of Europe, had decided to form the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

as a buffer state along the northern border of France. This meant there was no place for an independent principality and the Duchy of Bouillon would be annexed to the Grand Duchy of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

(at that time considered part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands due to the

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...

of the two states). Although the independence of the Duchy was lost, there were rights to the estates (including some in France), however further complications came in the form of another claimant to the throne, Prince Charles de Rohan (who was a grandson of a half-sister of the 6th Duke). Things looked good for d'Auvergne since he had the backing of

Lord Castlereagh Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), usually known as Lord Castlereagh, derived from the courtesy title Viscount Castlereagh ( ) by which he was styled from 1796 to 1821, was an Anglo-Irish politician ...

and the Congress had rejected a similar case. With everyone watching events that would lead to Waterloo, the Congress decided that the

King of the Netherlands King of The Netherlands (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Koning der Nederlanden'') is the title of the Dutch head of state. The king serves as the Head of state, head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes the constituent nations of ...

should rule on the case, and left the ruling to

arbitrators An arbitral tribunal or arbitration tribunal, also arbitration commission, arbitration committee or arbitration council is a panel of unbiased adjudicators which is convened and sits to resolve a dispute by way of arbitration. The tribunal may con ...

and the King. Whilst d'Auvergne was away, the Congress decided to uphold the arbitrators decision in favor of the claim by Rohan, the blood relation.

Death

Philippe d'Auvergne returned to London, the security for his personal loans having been lost, he was bankrupt, owing £12,000 in Jersey alone. He committed suicide at Holmes' Hotel, London, on 18 September 1816; he was buried in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster. An inventory of his house and library from the auction of his estate are held by the Jersey Archives. The Duchy of Bouillon remained in upheaval until 1825 when it was divided between the last Duke of Bourbon, the Prince de La Trémoille and the Princesse de Poix. Philippe d'Auvergne died with the titles: * Monsignor His Serene Highness Philippe d'Auvergne, by the Grace of God and the will of his people, Duc de Bouillon. * Vicomte de Turenne. * Duc d'Albert and de Chateau Thierry. * Comte d'Auvergne. * Comte d'Évreux et du bas Armagnac. * Baron de la Tour, Oliergues, Maringues and Montgacon, Peer of France. Most of these titles died with him.

Descendants

D'Auvergne fathered three illegitimate children by Mary Hepburn of St. Helier, Jersey, to whom he gave his name: Mary Ann Charlotte (b. 1794), married in 1815 to Sir

Henry Prescott Admiral Sir Henry Prescott (4 May 1783 – 18 November 1874) was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and was later the Governor of the Newfoundland Colony. Biography Family ba ...

, later Admiral; Anne Elizabeth (b. 1800), married to Admiral John Aplin; and Philip, who died a midshipman aboard at Colombo in 1815, and was buried 19 March 1815 at St Peters ("The Fort").According to the burial register, cited in

Notes, references and bibliography

Notes Citations References * Ashelford, Jane (2008) ''In the English Service, the Life of Philippe d'Auvergne'', Jersey Heritage Trust, * Balleine, George Reginald (1973) ''The Tragedy of Philippe d'Auvergne, Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy and Last Duke of Bouillon''. (Chichester: Phillimore). * Chalon, Renier-Hubert-Ghislain (1860) ''Le dernier duc de Bouillon''. (Bruxelles: E. Devroye) * Davies, Kenneth Gordon. ''Documents of the American Revolution 1770–1783'', (Colonial Office Series), Irish University Press (1972–1981) * Kirke, Henry (1904) ''From the Gun Room to the Throne''. * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:dAuvergne, Philippe Dukes of Bouillon 1754 births 1816 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Jersey people Fellows of the Royal Society