He plays a prominent role in Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's study Montaillou, village occitan de 1294 à 1324 and in some ways is that book's protagonist.
At age 18 Maury left home for the Val d'Arques where he worked as a shepherd for his cousin Raymond Maulen.
While living with and working for his cousin, Maury fell in love with Bernadette d'Esquinath, a girl from the village.
In 1305 however, Jacques Authié, a local Cathar leader was captured, and the villagers of Arques, fearing punishment, abandoned the open practice of Albigensianism and traveled en masse to Avignon to seek absolution from the Pope.
Living amongst the nomadic groups of shepherds Maury no longer had many dealings with Cathars and was unknown to the local Inquisition.
For his absenteeism during this incident Borrel fired Maury, but he soon found another job working as a shepherd for Guillaume André.
At some point in this period he was accused of fraternizing with a known heretic, but escaped the charge by pretending to having been miles away from the incident, a story backed up by his friends.
He also successfully avoided the round-up of the heretics of Montaillou in 1308, being warned by Bernard Fort, who supplied flour to the shepherds.
Maury became comparatively wealthy for a peasant due to his skill, hard work, and ability to find the best paying employers.