Chapter 1(b) Charles Marais and the Farm "Le Plessis Marle" or "Plessis Les Marle"

Charles Marais (Marré) (Maternal 11th Great Grandparent) and his wife Catherine Taboureux, presumably along with their 4 children (Claude, Charles, Izaac and Maria), are given 60 morgen of land in the Simonsberg area of Groot Drakenstein. He calls his farm Le Plessis Marle in recognition of his place of origin south of Paris, France. 

However the Farm is referred to as  “Plessis les Marle” in my research. 

Of the three children, his oldest son Claude Marias, goes on to become the first Elder of the French Church, and by the time his second wife dies in 1729, owns four farms, Meerlust, Lekkerwyn, le Plessis Marle and Welvanpas.

“Plessis les Marle” as it is referred to today have this history on their website: 

Charles Marais, a Huguenot peasant from Le Plessis Marly in the Ile de France region wanted a better life for his family. They were plagued by drought, famine, crippling taxes and ensuing poverty. These factors coupled with religious persecution saw them setting sail for the Cape in 1687 where they settled in the Groot Drakenstein Valley.

In 1693, Cape Governor Simon van der Stel granted land to the Marais family. They named it after their hometown, Le Plessis Marly. Later in the hands of his grandson, Jacob, the estate grew to one of the finest in the region. It was Jacob who built the manor house in 1764 that remains one of the earliest and finest examples of Cape Dutch architecture today.