LE MANOIR ET LE MOULIN DE LA RIGAUDIERE

MANOIR DE LA RIGAUDIERE :

The main monument of the seigneury of La Rigaudière, the Manor House, sometimes called a château, was occupied by :


1429 : Pierre HEAUME
1461 : Gilles HEAUME
1535 : Jeanne HEAULME
1561 : Richard de PONTOISE
1580 : Jacques du BOISORHANT
1612 : Jean du BOISORHANT
1667-1675: René du BOISORHANT 1675-1706: Charles de MONTGOGUÉ
1706-1726: Catherine de MONTGOGUÉ wife of Henry Maximilien MEUSNIER DES GRAVIERS
1726-1766: François LE MEUSNIER DES GRAVIERS
1766-1770: Armand LE MEUSNIER DES GRAVIERS
1770-1789 : Louis LEMEUSNIER DES GRAVIERS, first mayor of CHAUVÉ



Source : Jean-Pierre VALLÉE


LE MOULIN DE LA RIGAUDIERE :

It dates from the XV-XVIth century and used to belong to M. LE MEUSNIER DESGRAVIERS. It was run by Pierre BURGAUD and his miller. Pierre BURGAUD was killed by the Blues on 23 June 1794. The blue soldiers removed the irons from the mill so that it could not turn.

When peace returned, the Rigaudière mill was bought by the BEILVERT family, originally from Saint-Même-le-Tenu, who repaired the mill and kept it running.

In 1970, the mill was bought from Arsène BEILVERT by Jean-Pierre VALLÉE, who undertook its restoration by re-roofing and replacing the iroko wings (a very strong wood from equatorial Africa).

During the invasion of Saint-Nazaire, the Germans occupied the outside staircase that Arsène BEILVERT had built to get to the mill's bedroom. They installed a machine gun there and killed an FFI who was walking along the chemin de la Cristerie.

The Rigaudière millers before the revolution :


30 September 1684: Henry SAILLAUD
10 September 1685: Jullien GALLAYE
1690: LEROUX, flour miller at the Rigaudière mill
1692: Julien GALAYS
23 June 1794: Pierre BURGAUD


The mill ran until 1914, when miller Arsène BEILVERT was called up for the 14-18 war. When he returned in 1919, he wanted to get the mill up and running again, but the wings, which had not been maintained, fell to the ground and were never put back on.

The Rigaudière mill dates back at least to the 14th century, as evidenced by the 5 crosses carved into the shale.

Source: "LES MOULINS DE CHAUVÉ avant, pendant et après la Révolution" by Jean-Pierre VALLÉE.


These two estates are now privately owned and cannot be visited.