Name Fame

Two parallel streets in Charleston’s Charleston Village area are Beaufain and Montagu, with the latter just above the former crossing the historic peninsula. What an irony it is that Montagu was literally atop Beaufain in 1769, when Lord Charles Grenville Montagu, then Governor of the royal colony, sailed to England standing on the deck of the sloop Beaufain, named for Hector Berenger de Beaufain, who had been the collector of ships’ duties for years here in the city. Another irony is that these names, so close in proximity and seemingly in national origin, represented an Englishman (Montagu), who was despised by local townspeople for supporting the Stamp Act, while Beaufain was French, an became very popular with local merchants with his fair dealings toward all.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *