It was part of a vast area of marsh located around Bouin, separated from the mainland by the course of the River Dain.

The creation of a dyke protecting the Breton Marsh from storm surges resulted in a reclamation of the island that increased the land area inland of the Bay of Bourgneuf.

The Isle of Bouin was pillaged and razed by the Vikings in 813[1] and by the French in 1471 (the town was Breton at the time) during the wars between Brittany and France.

Companies trading in fake snuffboxes, involving all layers of island society, were created to regulate the traffic.

The boats sailed in flotillas to the north to bring back "good" tobacco, then stored in warehouses.