Antoine Pierre / Anthoine Pierre Hecquet

Biography

Antoine Pierre Hecquet moved the family story from farming at Gapennes into the working and commercial world of Abbeville, a town in Picardy in northern France. Born about 1545 to Jehannequin Hecquet and Marie Boissard, he became a master rope-maker and merchant. Cordage was his business, including the ropes required for maritime use.

He married Charlotte Lenglets. Their household and enterprise stood within a town where manufacture and trade were closely connected. The family's historical account identifies a house called the Corbillon in the Saint-Sépulcre parish and associates the business with a pelican emblem. These details give the rope-maker's establishment a more particular setting than the occupational title alone.

Antoine Pierre died on September 6, 1596. The family history places his death during a plague outbreak in Abbeville. Charlotte survived him for many years, appearing in later testamentary records. Their son Antoine became a merchant in the same town.

His name also appears as Anthoine Pierre, and his mother’s surname as Boissard or Boisart. The historical account reports a will before his death. Earlier research associates him with service as an alderman in 1577, but that office remains uncertain.