If someone were to tell me the tale of Gressy

If someone were to tell me the tale of Gressy-en-France… it would be the story of a village from old France. Once upon a time there was a place where people had lived since the dawn of history

whose name comes from the Latin “Gratiacum” - place of grace, meaning an enjoyable area. Who could doubt that, walking around this village enshrined in its green jewel box, with its streams and waterfalls, its birds and flowers? In 1180 Raúl de Gressy, the minor lord of this blessed area, founded the church dedicated to St. Denis, his daughter Eustachie continued his work. The church includes two very beautiful tombstones from the start of the 13th century; classified: these are of the founders. It was in the middle of the great century of Louis IV that the Frémont family appeared, originating in Normandy. They acquired the fiefdoms of Gressy-en-France and Moulignon (the mill) on the Beuvronne. This was done by Robert de Frémont and his brother Nicolas, the minister of Colbert.
In his memoirs, the Duke of Saint Simon (in the family since his mother-in-law was none other than Geneviève de Frémont, a woman of great beauty, the wife of Guy de Durfort, the Duke of Lorges and Marshal of France), says of Nicolas that he was considered to be "the richest man in France". Robert, who found the castle that was located just next to the fortified farm (the current site of Manoir de Gressy ) very uncomfortable , constructed a large bourgeois home "Clairefontaine" to house his wife and six children.

He designed a park with many trees and in it dug canals following a proposal by Le Notre. Their coat of arms: "Azure with three Gold Leopard heads, placed two and one". The following landholders in the fiefdom of Gressy (Les Pons Saint Maurice) would be close friends with "Carmontelle" this worldly artist who had astonished the court of the Duke of Orleans and who "sketched" the characters so perfectly with his pen not only in his proverbs (and type of comedy) , and transparent dramas (sort of Chinese shadow theater) but also in his portraits. He also liked to draw gardens and parks. He stayed in Gressy-en-France many times both at Clairfontaine and at Comte de Pons. At the same time, Pierre Joseph Macquer and his brother came to stay in Calirefontaine. He accumulated responsibilities and also became the "royal censor", meaning that he was in charge of examining the interest and merit of scientific discoveries proposed to the King. He worked much with Lavoisier and together they perfected the burning glass, the first solar oven. A chemist at the Sevres plant, king Louis XV charged him with determining the composition of hard porcelain, the secret of which was jealously capped by the Chinese. He succeeded in this task in 1769. It was also at Gressy that he experimented with the art of dying silk, and thus reddening the waters of the Beuvronne many times (he was accused of this section by the inhabitants of Gressy!)

At Clairfontaine, he also created a small laboratory and a botanical garden with exotic trees some of which are still present today. He was a magnificent experimentalist and it would take too long to list all of his discoveries. It should also be noted that one of his books he wrote- the Guide du Naturaliste (the Naturalist's Guide), with a preface by Buffon who was a friend of his - was to amuse the reader all while educating him. Also at that time there were three mills: The Moulignon mill, the Rouge mill, and a windmill located on the plain, all were very active... which is not surprising for this plain in France whose fertility is well-known. After the revolutionary tumult (the destruction was widespread, including the castle... which was partially rebuilt into the current Townhall) calm returned to the small village of Gressy which went to sleep for a while.