Louise Labé, Parcieux-en-Dombes, Saône-et-Loire (71)

The poet Louise Labé (1524-66) was born in Lyon and died in Parcieux. She wrote about the pain of women's love, and unfortunately the work she left the world only amounts to 662 lines. She was born Louise Charly, which was the name of her apprentice ropemaker father Pierre. Pierre had married the widow of the rich ropemaker Jacques Labé, whose surname Pierre appropriated to ensure his continued presence in the profession. On the death of Pierre's wife, he remarried and Louise is the fruit of this second marriage. She kept her father's assumed name, and married a rich ropemaker herself, hence her epithet 'La Belle Cordière'. The Mairie carries a photo of her sculpted bust as a logo.  She lived in Le château de Grange-Blanche (now private property) to the north of the bourg, where she died.