En 1687, Claude Champion, seigneur de Crespigny, époux de Marie de Vierville (famille qui n'était plus propriétaire du château de Vierville-sur-Mer depuis longtemps, mais possédait probablement des domaines dans l'autre paroisse appelée Vierville, située, elle, dans le Cotentin), a préféré quitter la France plutôt que de renoncer à sa foi protestante. Louis XIV venait alors de révoquer l'Edit de Nantes par lequel Henri IV avait organisé la coexistence des religions catholiques et réformées. Leur domaine de Crespigny a alors été saisi au profit de l'Etat, avec tous leurs autres biens en France.
Claude Champion écuyer, seigneur de Crespigny, était né en 1623. Il s'était marié avec Marie de Vierville (fille de Pierre de Vierville, écuyer et de Judith de Gascoing).
Ils ont eu 5 enfants: Pierre né en 1662, Suzanne-Renée, née en 1666, Jeanne, née en 1668, Gabriel et Thomas.
Tous protestants, Claude, Marie, Pierre, Suzanne et Jeanne ont émigré en Angleterre où ils ont été reconnus dans l'église de la Savoy à Londres le 30 juin 1687. Gabriel et Thomas se sont aussi réfugiés à Londres.
(d'après des documents établi par le curé de Vierville, D. Monnier, le 17 mai 1688)

Les Champion de Crespigny sont partis, mais plusieurs de leurs descendants sont revenus dans les années 30 à Vierville. Un gentilhomme anglais s'appelant de Crespigny-Vierville, s'est alors présenté chez Mme Hausermann au château de Vierville et a sollicité la faveur de visiter le château de ses aïeux. Il a trouvé cette demeure reconstruite depuis la fin du 17ème siècle, mais à Crespigny les escaliers et la cheminée monumentale étaient tristement abandonnés depuis la construction d'une maison plus moderne pour les fermiers.

{ voici ce que Madame Hausermann écrivait le 7 avril 1939, dans une lettre à son fils: "…..J’ai reçu ce matin une lettre très courtoisement respectueuse d’un Commodore de l’Air Force britannique, Mr Champion de Crespigny de Vierville qui voudrait bien louer ma vieille maison pour l’été  (je passe sous silence les cris de putois des boys à l’annonce de cette proposition). A défaut de ma maison, il s’excuse de me demander si je ne connaîtrais rien pour lui et sa famille. Il viendrait à Vierville. Tout cela dans un excellent français. Je vais voir autour de moi....." }

Un journaliste Français a écrit récemment (2009) en parlant de la tombe de Claude Champion de Crespigny, à Londres:

"Cet après-midi, je faisais une promenade dans le quartier de Marylebone, et je me suis arrêté dans le Garden of Rest (jardin de repos) situé près de l'église de St Marylebone, dans Marylebone High Street ( à deux pas de Baker Street et du célèbre musée de cire de Madame Tussaud ).Le jardin est ouvert sur la rue. Très petit, mais bien entretenu, avec quelques bancs et des pierres tombales alignées le long du mur. L'une d'elles a retenu mon attention. Je suis d'origine protestante et le défunt avait certainemen quitté la France après la révocation de l'Edit de Nantes."

La branche anglaise des Champion de Crespigny-Vierville
Les descendants de Claude Champion de Crespigny-Vierville ont dû être anoblis par la Couronne Britannique puis que l'on a noté le souvenir de certains d'entre eux:

- Sir Claude, 1er baronnet

- Sir William, second baronnet, qui a épousé Lady Sarah Winson Clive

- Augustus, qui aurait combattu à Trafalgar

- Sir Claude-William, 3ème baronnet, époux de Mary Tyssen Tyrd of Boreham

- Sir Claude, 4ème baronnet

- Sir Raoul, 5ème baronnet, vice-roi des Indes

- Sir Vivian Tyrel, 8ème baronnet, mort en 1952

- Philippe Champion de Crespigny, VM de la RAF (Royal Air Force), vivant à Melbourne Australie. Ce serait lui qui serait venu voir Madame Hausermann avant la guerre.
Hugh Vivian Champion de Crespigny, vivant à Durban (au Natal, Afrique du Sud)

- G. A. Ibbetson, descendant vivant à St-Hélier (Jersey Island)

Voici ce que G.A. Ibbertson (à "El Nino" Route des Genêts, St Brelade, Jersey Island) a écrit au sujet des Champion de Crespigny:

"CHAMPION OF THE DUKE OF NORMANDY
Who were they?
Where were they to from?
Why did they have to leave France ?
How did they leave?
Where did they go?
Where are they now?

The "judgment of God" was formally an article acknowledged by the laws of Normandy, and it was then a custom for certain people in high places to employ a champion in order to fight for them. It says in the Grand Larousse (an autoritative French Dictionary) the practice of fighting for other in judicial duels is very old. They were men who were professional champions and who hired themselves out for judicial fighting. In the 13th century the usage of a champion was no longer tolerated except for those who had a valid excuse: infirmity or sickness, the loss of a limb and age, etc. The duels are later described as: the combat between the parties of a criminal trial in order to descide the victory of one of the champions and the justice of his cause.

One of the families by the name of champion, cavaliers, of the la Basse-Normandie and sires of LA FLEURIERE who fought for and infavor of the succession of the dukes of Normandy when they wanted them and also took part in the first Crusade in 1096. they must have been very clever men of the sword.

Much later they took the title of CRESPIGNY. And later than that they changed it to CHAMPION DE CRESPIGNY, and they have continued that ever since then.

Ther is actually a farm of Crespigny situated about 300meters from the village of Vierville-sur-mer, in the Calvados. Certains parts there are very old and much in particular a Renaissance fire place in one room.

This place is very interesting for someone who looks for the history of thie family."

Among the last members who evacuated France we find Claude Champion de Crespigny, officer of high rank in the French army and who married Marie, countess of Vierville, and thus was known under the name of Vicomte de Vierville.
A standing portrait of the countess formally hung in the salon of a house in Surrey (England). The inscription on this portrait is: "Portrait of Marie, daughter of Pierre de Vierville, of the chateau de Vierville and married to Claude Champion de Crespigny".

Alas this happy situation doesn't last long because these two families are hugonauts, and they are said to be Protestant. The revocation of the "Edit de Nantes" by Louis XIV in 1685 and the involved persons had to leave their properties and France in order to avoid the persecutions due to arrive.
For those, one night, they disguised themselves as fishermen brought their two very young children in packs on their backs and asked a real fisherman to take them with him on his boat.
They were treated hospitably by the Pierpoints who were related by marriage. In 1690, the whole family was naturalized and Claude obtained a commissio in the Englsh army as colonel.
The couple died in London and were buried in an old cemetery called Marlebone, in front of Madame Tussaud Wax Museum. The two tombs are side by side still to be found there having avoided destruction by the "blitz" and the inscription reads "The burial place of Claude, Champion de Crespigny, a refgee from France". "Died April 10, 1695".
The other members of the De Vierville family went to Switzerland where one can actually find a De Vierville-Roth in Basel.
Their ancestor's house has not been damaged since they left Normandie.
About 1697 they were certified by the London College of Arms who said: We have studied and examined old books on the origin and it said "the Champions before Maheus Champion, cavalier, who lived in the year 1350 of N.S. ......until Claude de Champion, fled to the city of London in 1795 (sic) and was buried in Marbone."

Unhappily the place of exact residence of La Fleurière is lost in the night of time, all that we can say with certainty now is that it was not far from Bayeux.
His young son Philip and his wife Anne de Fournereau whose grand parents also escaped from La Rochelle ater the were discovered to the Huguenots acquired a large property with magnificient gardens called Christchurch Mansion in Suffolk.
They had 3 children, a daughter Jeanne and two son Philippe and Claude.
The last Sir Claude, in 1805, was able to a certain extent to compensate his family fot their lost in France.