Pantin family
- Alexa Cabrera
- Feb 28
- 13 min read
Updated: Mar 12
This story starts in the city of Rouen in the 16th century.
The Pantin family was one of the most important French Protestant families of goldsmiths in Rouen, the northern French port city. It was the largest center for the craft outside Paris. In 1679, most goldsmiths in the area were French Protestants. Protestant faith followed theologian John Calvin. Calvin’s approach appealed to educated Frenchmen. His followers included some of the most elite members of Catholic-dominated France, as well as prominent tradesmen and military officers. Because of the influence wielded by his followers, Protestant faith was initially tolerated by the French crown. However, French Protestants adopted the Huguenot name around 1560 when tensions rose between the Protestant and Catholic communities, and the Massacre of Vassy triggered the first of the French Wars of Religion.
In January 1562, the Edict of St. Germain recognized the right of Huguenots to practice their religion. Even though it had imposed limitations like the Huguenots were not permitted to practice within towns or at night, and they were not allowed to be armed. On April of the same year, Huguenots in Rouen entered the town hall and ejected the King's personal representative. And in May, the Catholic members of the town council fled the city. Seeing this, the Catholics captured the Fort of Saint Catherine which overlooked the city. Both sides resorted to terror tactics. The Protestants requested help from Queen Elizabeth I of England in accordance with the Hampton Court Treaty. The English sent troops to support them. But, in October 26th, 1562, French Royalist troops retook Rouen and pillaged it for three days.
Religious violence escalated. The worst of it came as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572, where 70,000 Huguenots were murdered across France, under the direction of Catherine de Medici, the regent queen and mother of King Charles IX. The news of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day reached Rouen at the end of August 1572. The city tried to avoid a Protestant massacre by imprisoning them. But between the 17th and 20th of September the crowds forced the gates of the prisons and murdered the Protestants inside. In 1589, King Henry IV was crowned. He was known for balancing the interests of the Catholic and Protestant parties in France. Violence such as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre had become the norm, as civilian bloodshed and military battles dragged on until the Edict of Nantes in April 1598. The Edict of Nantes ended the civil war by granting religious tolerance, civil rights and equality to Huguenots.
Jacob
Jacob Pantin was born in Rouen and baptized in the parish of Saint Nicolas in 1569. He registered as a goldsmith of Rouen on December 7th, 1592. He used the symbol of the peacock as his personal mark. Jacob married Catherine Perrot, daughter of Etienne Perrot, in 1593 and they had eleven children of whom five were boys: Jacob (II), Guillaume, Nicolas, Isaie, and Abraham. It was a Huguenot tradition for the first born son to have his father's name. Following the relaxation of the rules governing Protestants in France by the Edict of Nantes, the Huguenot community in Rouen gathered for all religious activities at the large octagonal church of Quevilly. Abraham Pantin, son of Jacob, was baptized here. For French silversmiths during King Louis XIV reign it was difficult to obtain raw material for their craft due to the continuous wars in which France was engaged at that time as well as the enormous cost of the palace of Versailles which drained Louis XIV's treasury and drove him to use all the available silver in France for minting into coin. Jacob died at the age of 94 in 1663.
Jacob > Isaie
The common practice in the Huguenot community was for a father to pass his trade skills on to his sons. Isaie Pantin born in 1601 was registered as a goldsmith of Rouen on October 12th, 1620. He chose a bridge and his initials as his personal mark. He married Marie Durand and their children included Isaie (II), Simon, Suzanne, Abraham, Anne and Madeleine.
When King Louis XIV ascended the French throne in 1643, he swore to defend the Catholic faith. Persecution of the Huguenots began again, escalating to the point that he directed troops to seize Huguenot homes and force them to convert to Catholicism. King Louis XIV reign was characterized as a strong, absolute, and centralized state. As sovereign by divine right, the King was seen as God’s representative on earth. In other words, the King answered to no one but God. The previous policy of religious tolerance was abandoned with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and the enactment of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which replaced the Edict of St. Germain and made Protestantism illegal. More bloodshed followed, and over the next several years, more than 200,000 Huguenots fled France. The British were not friendly with French King Louis XIV. In 1681, King Charles II of England, petitioned by the congregation of the French Protestant church on the Strand, formally offered Huguenots royal protection. Describing them as “distressed strangers”, he decreed that a national relief fund be set up. All this, lead to a high migration of French protestants to England. About one-fifth of the Huguenot population ended up in England and by 1700, about 5% of England's population were Huguenot. The departure of the Huguenots was a disaster for France, costing the nation much of its cultural and economic influence. In some French cities, the mass exodus meant losing half the working population. Huguenots were particularly prolific in the textile industry and considered reliable workers in many fields. They were also an educated group, with the ability to read and write. Many countries welcomed them and are believed to have benefited from their arrival since with them they brought knowledge on arts and commerce. This wave of migrants to England was mostly welcomed, but not entirely. London weavers and metal-workers during the early 1680s struggled to compete in their trades with the highly-skilled newcomers, and threatened violence against the Huguenots. To deter rioting, King Charles II of England ordered troops to be stationed to keep the peace. It is believed that the English word "refugee" came from this mass migration.
The descendants of Guillaume, Nicolas, Isaie and Abraham all left France during the 17th century and came to London. The first one was Isaie's son Isaie (II).
Jacob > Isaie > Simon
Simon Pantin was born in 1631. He married Jeanne Maubert. They had two children: Esther and Simon (II). In 1682, he received a recorded donation from a church in London of 2 pairs of child's shoes; which suggests that Simon's family had only just arrived in London in 1681, the same year as his brother Abraham. Simon became a resident of England on December 16th 1687.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II)
Simon (II) Pantin, was born on December 16th, (between 1672 and 1687) and was baptized on December 12th, 1697 in the Huguenot French church in Threadneedle street in London. In 1666, this medieval Church was devastated by London's great fire and rebuilt by the Huguenot community.
Simon (II) married Marthe Joncourt in 1697. Marthe was baptized on December 2nd, 1677. They had six children: Elizabeth, Simon (III), Abraham, Mary Martha, Lewis Armand, and Isaiah.
Simon (II) was the most notably famous goldsmith of the Pantin family. Since Simon, his father, was not a practicing silversmith in this new country, Simon (II) could not be apprenticed to him in accordance with the custom. Which is why on September 30th, 1686, Simon (II) began his apprenticeship as a goldsmith under Pierre Harache.
The Pantin family has had ties with the Harache family going back to Jacob Pantin who was the godparent of Suzanne Harache, daughter of Etienne Harache and Anne Le Mertier. The Harache family also came from Rouen as exiled Huguenots.
In England when an apprentice had finished his term he would usually continue to work for his master as a journeyman for around two more years or until he had accumulated sufficient funds to set up on his own. When silversmiths obtained their “free” status it meant they could sell their wares in the city of London. To earn that right, they had to be granted a hallmark from a Livery, like the Goldsmiths’ Company.
Simon (II) registered as a goldsmith of the parish of St. Giles in the Fields and was made free as a large worker on June 4th, 1701 followed by entering his first mark on June 23rd. His personal mark included a Peacock. He served the normal seven years of apprenticeship and later worked in the Harache workshop until he could raised the funds to set up his own workshop at St. Martins Lane. At the time, it required between £20 and £100 to set oneself up as a snuff box maker. The cost of setting up a large worker's workshop would undoubtedly have been considerably more than this.
The Huguenot work was of the highest standard and very much sought after. Simon (II) produced fine silver plate as would be expected of a pupil of Pierre Harache. His clients included the Royal family and the high nobility. His most notable piece is the "Queen Anne style kettle" conserved at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the time, silver furniture was one of the glories of the French court, and a fashion desired by ambitious English patrons. This piece was made for George Bowes the year he married the fourteen-year-old Eleanor Verney, daughter and heir of an immensely wealthy father who lived in Yorkshire. Their combined coats of arms are engraved on the kettle, stand, and tabletop. Most English stands were achieved by covering a wooden core with sheets of embossed silver, but the baroque stand for this faceted kettle is made of cast-silver components.
Other works by Simon Pantin (II):
In turn, Simon (II) took as his apprentices his own son Simon (III), Augustine Courtauld junior and Peter Courtauld. And most probably Lewis Armand. (*more details in post "Simon (II) Pantin apprentices")
Simon (II) died in London on March 5th, 1732.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand
Lewis Armand Pantin was baptized on July 18th, 1708.
Strangely, there is no record of Lewis Armand Pantin's apprenticeship. However, he registered his first maker's mark at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1734 (Grimwade 1956). His mark included his initials. He was a large worker who produced some fine work. Including a plate in 1738 to Frederick Prince of Wales. Lewis Armand married Elizabeth Hathaway somewhen before 1739 in Cheltenham, Gloucester. Elizabeth Hathaway was born in 1720 and was the daughter of Edward Hathaway and Amy Gibson. There is record of Lewis designing a machine to raise mud from riverbeds. The family was part of Saint Anne's parish in Westminster. They had seven children: Edward, Lewis (II), Martha, John, Ann, Jane and Mary. Lewis Armand Pantin died in 1748.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II)
Lewis II was baptized on July 6th, 1739 in Saint Anne Soho located in Westminster. He apprenticed to John Passavant, a small worker, in 1753. He was made free of the Goldsmiths' Company in 1767 and entered his first mark at the Hall in 1768 as a small worker giving his address as 45, Fleet Street. Lewis II married Jane Lambert on February 18th, 1769 and they had nine children including Lewis III, Mary Harriet, Henry, Elizabeth, George, and Frederick. The family was part of St. Dunstan-in-the-West parish, where all the children were baptized. Lewis II was in financial difficulties in 1781. In 1784, the family moved to 36 Southampton St. He declared bankruptcy in 1787. However, the Goldsmiths' Company made him their Beadle, a minor official who carries out various civil and ceremonial duties, a position that included a salary. But, he continued to get into more debt and in 1789 was dismissed from his post but was given a pension of £60 per annum. In 1790, the family moved again to 3 Southampton St. located in Strand. He died in 1806.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II) > Lewis (III)
Lewis Pantin III was born in 1767 and baptized on March 12th, 1770 in St. Duncan in the West. He must have been apprenticed to his father, as was the custom, when he reached the age of 14 in 1784. But he must have been required to move as his father declared bankruptcy in 1789. He was made free of the Goldsmiths' Company in 1799 giving his address as St. Martin's Le Grand. Lewis (III) married Grace Catterson in 1793 in Skipton, Yorkshire. They lived in Knaresborough located in York. They had three sons: Lewis (IV), George and John Joseph. Grace was born in Skipton on July 4th, 1775 and was the daughter of Stephen Catterson and Mary Parkinson. The Catterson family was an old English family name who has ties to the Craven region since medieval times.
This story continues in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II) > Lewis (III) > Lewis (IV)
Lewis (IV) was born in 1796 in Knaresborough, Yorkshire. He joined the British Navy at a young age. He sailed on May 28th, 1811 towards the Baltic Sea on board the "Dictator 80" commanded by Robert Reynolds. Lewis (IV) then sailed to Martinique Island. And later sailed to Trinidad island on January 22, 1817. He formed the Pantin Brothers firm in Trinidad. He served as a public servant in the role of Secretary in 1836. He had agricultural properties in Pointe-a-Pierre. He married Rose Suzanne Henriette de Mouillebert on August 12th, 1818 in Port of Spain. Rose Suzanne Henriette de Mouillebert was born around 1800 in Granada island and died on October 16th, 1835 in Port of Spain. She was the daughter of Marc Louis Henri de Mouillebert de Puysec and Suzanne Peschier de Beltgens. She was niece to Pierre René Rosnay, Martinique Island governor. They had six children, including Charles Georges John Pantin de Mouillebert. Three of the six children were boys who all married Ganteaume family women. Lewis (IV) died on October 31st, 1862 and is buried at Queen's Park cemetery located in Port of Spain.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II) > Lewis (III) > Lewis (IV) > Charles
Charles Georges John Pantin de Mouillebert was born in Port of Spain in 1820 and dies in 1863. He married his cousin Henriette Josephine Ganteaume de Monteau on August 3rd, 1850 in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion. Henriette was born in 1833 and died July 1st, 1919. She was the daughter of Pierre Antoine Marie Ganteaume de Monteau and Marie Elise Monnier Quarrée Peschier. Charles and Henriette had ten children, including Frederick Lewis Pantin Ganteaume.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II) > Lewis (III) > Lewis (IV) > Charles > Frederick Lewis
Frederick Lewis Pantin was born in Port of Spain on August 16th, 1862 and died in Caracas, Venezuela on October 22nd, 1936. He was the administrator for the English railway company in Venezuela which stablished in 1883. In 1897 he lived at calle Norte 6 #15, de Piñango a Llaguno.
Frederick Lewis married Merced Maxima del Cristo de Tovar y Zerega on October 5th, 1889 in Caracas. Merced was born in Caracas on November 18th, 1865. She was the daughter of José María Ramón de Tovar y Tovar and María Porcia Zérega y Tovar. She was baptized at Cathedral Sagrario on July 27th, 1886. Her godparents were Napoleón Zérega and Altagracia de Tovar. Merced died on March 7th, 1956.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II) > Lewis (III) > Lewis (IV) > Charles > Frederick Lewis > Guillermo
Guillermo Pantin de Tovar married Beatrice Lucie Ganteaume Tovar on February 22nd, 1927 at Parroquia de Altagracia in Caracas. Beatrice was born in Caracas on July 29th, 1902. She was baptized on October 5th, 1902 at Parroquia de Sagrario, her godparents were François
Alphonse Ganteaume and Mercedes de Tovar.
Guillermo and Beatrice had five children:
Enrique (b. September 27, 1932) who married Adina Angelucci.
Beatriz (b. January 22,1930) who married José Salvador Briceño Briceño.
William George (b. May 21, 1928 - d. June 4,2005) who married Raquel Magali Neher Borjas.
Mercedes (b. March 3, 1931) who married Harry Preben Jeppesen Rasmussen.
Margarita (b. February 28, 1934) who married and later divorced Luis Enrique Cabrera Umerez.
Jacob > Isaie > Simon > Simon (II) > Lewis Armand > Lewis (II) > Lewis (III) > Lewis (IV) > Charles > Frederick Lewis > Guillermo > Margarita
Margarita Pantin was born on February 28th, 1934 and baptized on December 31st of the same year. Her godparents were Pedro Lander Castillo and Josefina U. de Tovar. Margarita married Luis Enrique Cabrera Umerez on August 9th, 1952. They had ten children.
Resources:
"Los Pantin y los Ganteaume" by Antonio A. Herrera-Vaillant
"The Pantin Dynasty of Rouen and London" Article # 235 by David Mckinley ASCAS: Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver
"The French origins of the Harache, Margas and Pantin families" by Alice Bleuzen
"Louis XIV" by Palace of Versailles
"Flashback: Huguenot Silversmiths, The Courtaulds" by Edward Wenham
"Huguenots" by History.com
"Simon Pantin and His Children: Seven Goldsmiths in Two Genrations 1666 1771" by Sandra Dara Robinson
"History of Rouen" by wikipedia
"Early 18th Century Antique George II Sterling Silver Beer Jug London 1731 Simon Pantin II" by Paul Bennet Antique Silver
https://waxantiques.com/eliza-godfrey-a-remarkable-and-resilient-lady-silversmith/
https://www.ruepigalle.ca/blog-posts/goldsmiths-jewelry-series-part-2-sophia-tobin