Medieval tales

The Crocotaco plague
"Crocotaco" is a very old legend. It is the end of winter, the time of the March showers, last battles between the ending hoar frost and the victorious spring. It is also a scary period when the nights last as long as the days. A mysterious veiled shape prowls about the town, from the door La Comtal to the Citadel, from rue des Agneaux to rue des Argentiers. Then he lurks around the country, from one village to another, and, with no other reason than his giving in to a whim, he knocks at the shutter of this house or that one. "Qui es aco?", the ploughman asks, as he stays close by the fireplace, where scraps of hemps, shredded during the day, are burning. "Crocotaco!", the gloomy shadow answers and he is on his way. Again further away: knock, knock! "who is this?" the shopkeeper asks as he half-opens a panel of his large window. "Stay still!" the night voice outside shouts back. And the burgher falls down and lays still on the tiles of his shop. He has not had the chance to see anything or to make peace with God! Then our bogeyman keeps on roaming, knocking here or there. Who is this? Crocotaco! this is just fun; who is this? Stay still! this is a death sentence.


The pig, our saviour (a chapter of the 100-year war)
At the time, Puymirol was a fortified town, besieged by the English. The people in town were worried as they could see behind the battlements, the hostile soldiers eagerly waiting for them to surrender. After several days, the people of Puymirol had not really realized that they were running short of food. But before they started to starve, they decided to give it a last try: the idea was to feed a pig with all the cereal yield of the year that was still stored in the granaries. Once the pig was well-fattened up, they threw it over the battlements. When the English soldiers saw such a fat pig tumbling down by their feet, they thought that the people of Puymirol still had a lot of food left, which would allow them to keep on resisting for a long time... Then, the assailants, feeling suddenly disheartened, raised the siege. The people of Puymirol, who had been sure to die, had defeated the English invaders without fighting owing to this trick of the fat pig


18th century

The recidivist thief
Pierre-Etienne was on a leave in Puymirol at his brother's, André-Bernard De Léonard when it happened that a servant, who was busy threshing some millet upstairs, came under suspicion of stealing grain. André-Bernard took a lantern, Pierre-Etienne his sword, and they both went across rue Royale, to search the barn where the thief was sleeping. They found under the bed a bag of cereals. The thief was caught and locked up at the borough jail, in Tour Ficat. Once freed, this bad lot was taken into service by Mr. De Bonnefont-de-Cardelus, a lord in Saint-Martin-de-Beauville. Unfortunately, he kept on stealing. But when he stole, on top of all his misdeeds, three sheaves from the tithe pile of Saint-Caprais-de-Lerm, he was hung on 23 September 1769, place des Tilleuls in Puymirol. Many were there, who wanted to witness the end of this recidivist thief...

Mr. André-Bernard De Léonard, Lord of Lamourous (1724-1809), was then the richest man in Puymirol. He owned in his stables several thoroughbred horses he was very proud of. Every time he went to Agen to do his shopping, he had a different horse team so that people would not miss noticing him. Unattractive, he took along in his cabriolet his servant, a man much more elegant than he was. As soon as they reached Agen, they would exchange seats so that people who saw them drive by, said of him that he was a handsome man...
Mr. De Léonard owned, among his horses, one who was mediocre, dirty and skinny; Without losing any time, he sold it for a ridiculous price to the rag dealer, Louiset de Puymirol. The latter curried it, brushed it and polished it. Once back into shape, he took it to the fair in Agen. M. De Léonard who was there too, noticed the horse, and found it to his liking. He bought it for a very high price and never knew to whom it used to belong to.

Just because he was the eldest of the sons, André-Bernard de Léonard, owned several houses in town and in the country, the estates of Moissagel and Lamouroux, the vineyards of Saint-Ouens, some lands scattered about, but mainly in the parishes of the jurisdiction of Puymirol. His father and grand-father's portfolio also generated for him an income as important as the capital his co-heirs had received. All of that because of his position as a first son. André-Bernard went to college. He lived in his father's house, while his brothers left the family house and looked for fortune in the army. On 14 January 1760, André-Bernard married Anne Canel, the richest heiress in the country. An entire day was not enough for André-Bernard to go and shop in Agen. His servant weighted down with boxes and packages. André-Bernard de Léonard, also known as the all powerful in the jurisdiction of Puymirol, died on 18 January 1809. There was a violent trial over his will, in which Maître de Sèze, famous barrister at the time (counsel of the King Louis 16th) took part.

The ladies' scarf
Mr. De Léonard was famous in the bastide for his success with the ladies. One day, he gave to all his mistresses a beautiful scarf, the same to all, so that he could easily recognize them. On the following Sunday, they happened to go to Mass wearing the famous scarves; they recognized each other of course, and jealousy got them to start fighting on the parvis while the passers-by looked on in amusement.


19th century

Jasmin in Puymirol (1798-1864)
Jacques Boé, who was born in Agen, was first a hairdresser and wigmaker before he became the famous poet known as Jasmin. On a Saturday night during a tour in the area, he came to the hall of Puymirol for a recital of his famous poems in patois. The entrance was free and there was therefore a large public. And as wherever he produced himself, there was a long round of applause. The Reverend Father Cassé, in charge of the parish, then had a great idea: he asked Jasmin to loan him his hat “tromblon” (a very deep model), to take a collection without anybody being able to see what the others were giving. Owing to this trick, the collection was good and given away to the social services of the town.