Welcome

In the middle of the 16th century Gilles de Gouberville kept a journal of his life as a country squire in Northern Cotentin, centered on a manor located a few miles south of Cherbourg in Normandy. As far as we know, this diary, not written by a courtesan, nor a city sophisticate, is a unique witness of early modern history Europe.

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In this website, you will find the answers to questions on the Goubervillean world as well as a brief presentation of various aspects of Gilles de Gouberville’s Journal : social, cultural, economic, historical, linguistic, medical but also personal. 

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The quotations from the Journal all come from the Beaurepaire and Blangy editions. In French, a modern translation is proposed along with the necessary explanations (in brackets) for a better understanding of the text. This will be followed by a modern English translation.

All translations by Maria Hennequin.

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The Comité Gilles de Gouberville published in early 2021 a revised edition of the Journal as well as an online edition, mainly meant for scholars.

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Our non-profit society – Le Comité Gilles de Gouberville –  is dedicated to Gilles de Gouberville. Every year we organise  a lecture on a Goubervillean theme and a field trip.

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With @gouberville you can receive a daily tweet with Gilles’ journal entry of the same date in 1555/1556.

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You are welcome to contact us, to leave us comments using the button below, and to browse our website in French.

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Your contributions are welcome.