John S. Quarterman requested that I post some Norman
pictures, to hopefully encourage people to post some more pictures on the
net. This is a picture of La Behottiere, my farm in France. The
farm lies 40 km from St-Clair-sur-Epte. St-Clair-sur-Epte is the town
in which Rolo the Viking met Charles the Simple, King of Fr in 911 and
created the Dukedom of Normandy on a handshake. The Epte forms the
boundary of the Dukedom of Normandy. This handshake is commonly known
as the treaty of St-Clair-sur-Epte. Rolo, although a barbarian, was an
honourable man and the treaty remained in effect until the terror of the
French Revolution. La Behottiere was originally built as a mill by the
monks of Le Bec Hellouin in the 12th Century. A mill stream was
created by a cairn of rocks. Today there is a mill on the site.
The property acquired its name at the time of the French R when the Behot
family obtained the property. For historical reasons, the real river
remains entirely in private hands. The Duc Valencay acquired La
Behottiere and surrounding lands at the turn of the Century. He
reconstructed the house for his mistress. His chateau lies within view
of the house save for the planting of trees he did to keep his wife's prying
eyes away from him and his mistress. It's reputed that she stood on
the roof of the chateau with a telescope in hand.
The Risle valley is where many Scots fled after Culloden,
one of the more famous was Sir William Gordon, who died in Brionne, never
seeing Cornhill, Scotland again. The current guardian of La
Behottiere, in Scotland the Factor, is A. J. Harris, a former Royal
Marine. Above the gate "Commit thy work to God" rises. In the
pavement stones of the two and a half acre formal garden, it says "Ici est
Ecosse" (Here is Scotland). There is no Scot quite as Scot as a Scot
abroad. Are we Norwegians, Frenchmen, dome rumour us to be the
descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. What we are, my
cousins, are a band a brothers, from one of the most ancient and proudest
families. Our family will live forever. We will live
forever.
Sinclair
If anyone would like any further photographs or
information, please email: