The large drive measures about 200 metres long by 15 metres wide. Up until twenty years ago it was planted with several rows of trees some of which still survive a few feet away from the chapel.

After walking along the drive, we reach a high crenelated wall, pierced in the centre with a large carriage gateway and a door for pedestrians. On entering the paved courtyard, we arrive in front of the main building of the manoir, formed into 2 long areas with 2 floors. The first floor is lit by high windows, whilst on the top floor there are raised skylights with rounded pediments. A Renaissance door with decorated pillars opens into the hail where a large stone staircase leads to the first floor. To the left is a kitchen with an imposing chimney breast decorated with an enormous monolithic lintel.

To the right a ribbed door opens, above which this Latin adage can be read: "Pax optima: rerum. Peace above everything". Through this door, we reach an immense room which has beams painted and decorated with inscriptions that cannot be deciphered because of the grand height of the ceilings. During my childhood, 2 enormous round box beds with 4 or 5 bunks above each other were at the bottom end of this room. I have never seen anything like it since. The first floor has several rooms of considerable size, the second floor can not be reached as the floor is made of cob which has decayed.

The yard is marked out to the east by service buildings: a stable and oven at the end of which is a pavillion which has stone steps leading to it and an elegant watchtower through which the whole length of the drive can be surveilled. It is said that this pavillion served as a guardsroom underneath which was an empty, dark redoubt with no other openings apart from the door and a narrow window decorated with a strong grill. This was believed to be a prison.

To the west of the yard some cow sheds and pig pens were built. Behind these buildings an immense garden stretches out with walls that form the shape of a cross. At midday the remains of a small pavillion called the presbytery can be seen from the garden; this was the lodging of the chaplain. A small, higher driveway running the length of the outer wall and bordered primitively by a laurel hedge connects this small building with the chapel door. The chapel is built on a small square planted with trees. It was built in 1626, dedicated to Saint Marguerite in honour, most probably, of Marguerite de Brezal who was the Lady of Lezurec at the time of the chapel's construction. During my childhood, remnants of an altar and a retable could still be seen, although it served as a shed for ploughing implements. The statue of the lady patron is represented by a figure in a niche of the apse slaying a dragon.

Behind the Manoir, the base walls of a partly demolished pavillion can be seen; an elegant chimney piece in fine stone remains in a section of the wall. In the middle of a large field, to the north-west of the buildings stands a large dovecot which has interior walls with a multitude of openings carefully and symmetrically ranged. It was constructed around 1580.

The whole ensemble rests on a gentle hill, which slopes down towards the large rural valley of Ster Vraz and through the trees the pointed roof of the estate watermill Meil Penhil can he glimpsed.

The surrounding areas of Lezurec were once very wooded, in addition to the large wood which still survives, measuring almost 2 hectares, the records list several copses such as Coat Laval, Coat Fenoux, Coat Poulglaou, Coat Nezennec and Coat Coz Drines. Several paths are also mentioned: ale ar veleien, an ale goz, an ale dero (priest's lane, the old lane, and oak tree lane).

The main building of Lezurec was finished in 1504 or 1505. In 1503, 13 straw mattresses or cob mats and beams for the granary were bought at Guyon Adam at Pont-Croix, for the sum of 54 sous, 8 denier. Transport to Lezurec for these materials came to 4 sous, 12 deniers. Records state that the building of the said house of Lezurec cost 5 thousand livres.

The Lezurec estate came to exist in 1465 after the division of the Menez land in Esquibien (now called Menez-braz in order to differentiate it from the nearby Menez-bihan). Justin du Menez profited from this land division. A young lord, Justin du Menez was the son of Guyoman and was the first to bear the name of Lezurec.

In the Eighteenth Century, the estate extended over the following villages under the domain of the King: in Primelin, all of Kerforn, Mestrezik and Merdy, and parts of Kerandraon and Kermaléro. In Esquibien, all of Kerguerrien-ganté, Kerscao, Cosquer-braz, Kerunuz, Keruzon, Kergadec, Kerzeen, Kerzorn and Kerancorre and parts of Custren, Trevenouen, Kerbuzulic, Penanros, Kervreac'hizela, Troloan and Kerlaouen-izela. In Goulien, all of Trovreac'h and part of Trohaluz. In Cleden, all of Kerham, parts of Kergaradec, Lamboban, Kerlaeron, Kermeur and Kerlaouen. In Plogoff, parts of Lescoff. In Beuzec, part of Quinituec, Kerleac'h, Kersquivit, Keriven and Kermaléro.

Under the rule of Ragaires de Cornouaille, the estate covered the Manoir of Lezurec and its outbuildings, the manoirs of Kerouil and Kerounou, half the village of Kerscoulet, lands at Kervrant, Kerlazen, Kereuhan, the village of Saint Tugen, 5 or 6 other villages in Primelin and some houses at Audierne.

At an unspecified time, he was found guilty of murder. A wandering fugitive from La Rochelle called Verdun arrived in Audierne. François du Menez, known as 'The Mountain', son of the governor of this small town, got it into his head that this refugee was a spy who needed to be arrested and then, no doubt, his intentions would be uncovered.

But in this time of dissension, the paths of justice proved useless. Du Menez chose instead to push this fugitive to the extreme, harassing and abusing him, lavishing threats and insults upon him. He was forced, by his own confession, into using a sword against Verdun. With the first blow he struck him in the eye. Verdun fell to the ground. Seeing him on the floor, du Menez continued to mutilate his body with more blows of the sword until Verdun finally died. The following night du Menez and two of this friends threw Verdun's body into the sea with a rock tied around his neck. However, the next day the tide went out leaving the corpse lying on the shore in full view.

To remove himself from such an awful crime, the murderer decided to speak with the chaplain of the cathedral of Rouen who possessed the power to absolve a criminal on Ascension day. Having been lead in procession to the Saint Romain chapel where La Fierte or relics of the saint were to be found, the guilty party could then raise La Fierte into the air in order to gain forgiveness.

A first intervention with the chaplain in 1577 was unsuccessful. The following year, thanks to the powerful protection of the Cardinal de Bourbon, the duke of Guise, the duke of Mayenne, the Cardinal of Birague and several other similarly authoritative figures, François du Menez was finally admitted to the chapel and allowed to raise La Fierte and return to Audierne, absolved.

Yves du Menez, did not appear to have been on good terms with his brother in law, Guillaume du Bouilly, because on the 3rd August 1662, the latter lodged a complaint against him, staring that on Saturday 1st July the lord of Lezurec accompanied by a group of menacing men, had gone to the suppliant's houses and appartments situated in the parish of Trébry, near Lamballe, threatening to set fire to these houses as well as threatening the suppliant and his servants.

However, finding that he could not put these threats into action, he found a field belonging to the lord of Trébry, he cut the grass in the lord's meadow to make hay and organised helpers to take it away. This type of behaviour is reminiscent of the acts of robbery which took place in the middle ages. We have nor discovered what the repercussions of this action were.

Ernest d'Haute-Rive spelt out the strict criteria; anyone who wanted to become a member of this elite had to prove a noble ancestry and have adequate wealth to afford the spending the role demanded. The pages had a great life. They went horse riding, drinking, dancing and were initiated into the rites of manhood - not least by the ladies of the court who were more than willing to introduce the young men to the mysteries of life. It seems that actual military training was often overlooked.

The premature death of his father and the prompt remarriage of his mother, who soon moved to Chalon Sur Saone where she had several more children, resulted in Gilles Louis' education being sorely neglected.

He was placed under the guardianship of his great-uncle, Gilles Yves, an official in Auray. Already old (he had been horn in 1702) and childless, he nonetheless tried to keep his charge on the straight and narrow Having failed, he felt he had no option but to send the young man to a youth prison. Here are some details of letters he sent to the Bursar of Brittany:

In 1776 he wrote:

'It is with the deepest sadness that I find myself obliged to request Your Highness to use your powers to help control Gilles Louis Joseph de Menez. de Lezurec, aged 20.

Being charged with the education of the young man - of whom I am the guardian - I appointed a private tutor at home to keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, this proved unsatisfactory and I was obliged to send him to the college at Vannes, with his tutor.

Still dissatisfied with the result I took him out and sent him to a hoarding school in Quimper, where I asked one of the college's priests to look after him. lie stayed there for ten months but came out the very same person. After receiving good reports of the college in July, 1 sent him there in 1769, where he stayed for twenty five months. However, I removed him after he expressed boredom and I found myself barely informed of his progress. From there I placed him in the academic institution of Angers to do his exercises. He stayed there for nineteen months.

After Angers I sent him to the artillery regiment in Metz, then in La Fere, after recommending him to my relative and friend M. Derison who eventually begged me to remove him because he could not bear to keep him any longer. He had been told by M. Debeauvoir, the commander in La Fere, that he wanted him fired because of his dangerous behaviour with the other young officers. Again, I took him out and, after being advised by M. Derison never to send him into the services again, did not know what to do with him. During his stay in La Fere and Angers he had borrowed money from anyone he could convince to lend it to him.

He then came to live with me but his contempt for discipline led to him escaping from me on May 10th, 1776. 1 traced him to Rennes where he had taken refuge with one of his relatives famed for his debauchery. He managed to get on a carriage heading for Paris and from there to go to Chalons sur Saone to visit his mother, but in the meantime his step-father had heard the news and asked a friend to intercept him and send him back to Brittany. He even paid his fare to return to Rennes but Gilles Louis stopped off again in Paris where he attracted the attention of the police after perpetrating several swindles.

When I heard what had happened I decided to get him out of the mess he was in. After arriving in Paris I convinced a police lieutenant to help me get a case against him dismissed. 1 spent twenty one days in Paris before finally finding him and paving off all his debts.

Back in Auray I was delighted but soon my expectations were shattered as he escaped again at eight o'clock in the evening on Christmas eve. This time I had been tipped off about his plans early enough to stop him in Vannes from where he came back with me still trying to borrow money off anyone he came across . At last, on April 17th, he escaped again and headed towards Laurient where he left the horse he had hired in Auray, borrowed six pounds and managed to sell a watch and a golden heart he had stolen from two naive ladies: he also borrowed a sword for the day and swapped it for one with a steel handle.

I have been informed that he is in Brittany, near Montcour staying with one of my brothers who's already tired of him. On arriving in Brittany, this young man had demanded that the local farmers come and pay him. What contempt for the laws of the land! And what a disgrace to put those poor peasants in such a position. How can a minor adopt such an attitude? This trip to Brittany is clearly aimed solely at raising money so he can return to Paris where he escaped justice so recently.'

Months later, the unfortunate guardian wrote again to the bursar:

'I am afraid I have to plead again for your help in restraining my nephew. his misconduct is even worse than it was and I am unable to control it anymore. This young man mixed with the very worst company in Paris. After having used all his money to satisfy his excesses he then swindled all mine too, by using my name.

He then conned his vassals into paying him more money after making a clandestine visit to Montcour. He returned to Paris where, after spending all the money he had raised from the swindle, he sold his clothes and enlisted in the Dauphin's regiment. He did not manage to join up though because he's now in Paris where a surgeon is trying to cure him of a sexually transmitted disease.'

Finally, after much thought, the guardian decided to try to obtain an order from the King to keep his nephew at home. The best way to succeed? To marry him off as soon as possible and that was what was done. On June 8th, 1778, at St. Gildas d'Auray, Gilles Louis Marie du Menez married Marie-Celeste le Gouvello de la Porte, daughter of François-Anne le Gouvello, knight, and Marie-Joseph-Jacquette le Boutouillie.

We realised, according to the Laennec correspondence, that the two spouses didn't live together. While the husband was living a very disorganised life in several different towns, his wife had been a host in the community of St. Antoine in Quimper. As for their young daughter, she had to be placed in an establishment for her education.

Le Manoir de Lezurec was rented to a farmer since 1762. The inventory drawn up after the lord's death, from the 8th to the 15th of July 1788, shows that it was very mediocrely furnished. Silverware only included eight pieces of silver cutlery, one spoon, four silver teaspoons, one large tablespoon, two pierced tablespoons, weighing overall twelve marcs, three ounces and seven gros and estimated for five hundred and ninety nine pounds and fifteen sous. The overall estimate was reduced to seven thousand and fifty one pounds and two sous. The estimators found in a chest three bags containing two thousand, eight hundred and ninety two pounds and six sous, representing according to Mme. de Lezurec the annual income of the properties.

Behind the manor was an opening very close to the ground; you could distinctly see steps going down and leading, people said, to an underground tunnel ending up at the St Tugen chapel. People used to say that the tunnel contains treasure guarded by a cockerel and a viper. Some servants, holding candles, had gone down, but when they were about to reach the treasure, the cockerel was flapped his wings and blew out the candles. The frightened explorers were forced back. People also say that a dog was once sent into the dark tunnel and never came back but he can still he heard harking.

Another legend has it that one of the paving stones in the room that we used to call "ar zal ven" (the stone room) was covering the opening of the self same corridor. We always tried to find, kneeling on the wet and rough paving, a slab that we could lift. Though we never succeeded. Most of our searches ended in smacks from our parents and threats of the black dungeon of the prison.

One day, M. de Nahurec had brought a new rifle. To try it out he aimed it at an unfortunate roofer and killed him instantly. When the body fell to the ground, he took out a coin and said "ha peo'ch neyze!" (Nobody must speak of this.)

A certain M. Guillou, the blacksmith in Kerbuzulic, had the privilege of repairing M. de Lezurec's rifles and manufacturing the "inkiniou" (the women's spindles). In return M. Guillou was exempted from any taxes; he was also allowed to tie his hair with a ribbon, as opposed to the hemp string of the farmers.