A Parc-aux-Cerfs (; "

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

of stags"), in France, was generally the name given to the clearings that provided

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

fields for the French

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

prior to the French Revolution. The name is most notoriously known in history for an area in the grounds of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and a house there owned by

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, where his secret mistresses were accommodated, being taken from there to the palace to visit the king. The house was small and discreet. According to the myth, the arrangement was supervised by the king's official mistress,

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

, who remained close to him, but no longer had a physical relationship with him.

Nancy Mitford Nancy Freeman-Mitford (28 November 1904 – 30 June 1973) was an English novelist, biographer, and journalist. The eldest of the Mitford family#Mitford sisters, Mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the "bright young things" on the ...

states in the 1968 revised edition of her biography ''Madame de Pompadour'' that " hehad nothing whatever to do with it". The lovers were in fact recruited by the king's

valet de chambre ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on ...

, Dominique Guillaume Lebel.Patrick Wald Lasowski, L'Amour au temps des libertins, Editions First-Gründ, 2011 Between 1752 and 1768, many women and girls lived in the house, often more than one at a time, many of whom are unidentified. Among the famous lovers of the Parc-aux-Cerfs were Marie-Louise O'Murphy (in 1752–1755) with her sister Brigitte O'Murphy (1755–1757); Jeanne-Marguerite de Niquet "Mme Véron de Séranne" (1754); Marie Louise de Marny, Madame de Giambone (1758); Marguerite-Catherine Haynault (1759–1762); Lucie-Madeleine d'Estaing (1760–1763); Louise-Jeanne de Tiercelin de La Colleterie (1762–1765); Marie-Thérèse Boisselet (1768); Jeanne-Marguerite Salvetat "Madame Mars" (1768) and, finally

Madame du Barry Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry (; 28 August 1744 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution on accusations of treason—particularly being ...

(1768). The house was sold in 1771. File:Hertenpark Le Parc aux Cerfs (titel op object), RP-P-1944-520.jpg, 18th-century engraving of a Parc-aux-Cerfs.

References

French nobility Louis XV Versailles {{France-hist-stub