Grivesnes
Encyclopedia
Grivesnes is a commune
in the Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France
.
.
uprising of 1358 (which started in this district), but sources lack any substance.
A 15th century manor house was destroyed by Burgundian
troops during their retreat from Beauvais
after the victory of Jeanne Hachette
.
Between 1611, the date of his marriage, and 1640, the date of his death, Louis of Goussencourt erected the principal parts of the château.
Enlarged in the 18th century, the château was very much part of the Ancien Régime and when, during the French revolution
, it was decided to confiscate the property, the Count of Grivesnes didn’t oppose it, as his son (Louis-Henri (1766–1849)) had already emigrated to Quebec
.
During the auctions of 1793 and 1794, the castle was sold as national property. An inhabitant of Grivesnes, Roch Théry, whose family had lived in the parish for more than two centuries, purchased some of the land as well as the mill, although it was later returned to its owners. The entire site was sold in 1899 to an Amiens notary by the name of Lenain.
During the First World War, the town was ravaged and all the community archives were destroyed. The castle, surrounded by a park of 19 hectares, comprised a distillery and a farm of 132 hectares, underwent shelling that damaged 66% of the property.
From March 29 to April 7, 1918, the town was the centre of a fierce battle.
Fighting hand-to-hand, with fixed bayonet
s, the French and British troops cut off the road to Amiens to the Germans. Many soldiers were buried in unmarked graves, without any ceremony.
In June 1990, a commemorative stele
was erected by French and German ex-combatants.
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Grivesnes is situated on the D26 road, some 18 miles (29 km) south of AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
.
History
A castle is reputed to have existed before the JacquerieJacquerie
The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in the summer of 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt, which was violently suppressed after a few weeks of violence, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris...
uprising of 1358 (which started in this district), but sources lack any substance.
A 15th century manor house was destroyed by Burgundian
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
troops during their retreat from Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
after the victory of Jeanne Hachette
Jeanne Hachette
Jeanne Laisné was a French heroine known as Jeanne Fourquet and nicknamed Jeanne Hachette .All that she is currently known for is an act of heroism on 27 June 1472, when she prevented the capture of Beauvais by the troops of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy...
.
Between 1611, the date of his marriage, and 1640, the date of his death, Louis of Goussencourt erected the principal parts of the château.
Enlarged in the 18th century, the château was very much part of the Ancien Régime and when, during the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, it was decided to confiscate the property, the Count of Grivesnes didn’t oppose it, as his son (Louis-Henri (1766–1849)) had already emigrated to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
During the auctions of 1793 and 1794, the castle was sold as national property. An inhabitant of Grivesnes, Roch Théry, whose family had lived in the parish for more than two centuries, purchased some of the land as well as the mill, although it was later returned to its owners. The entire site was sold in 1899 to an Amiens notary by the name of Lenain.
During the First World War, the town was ravaged and all the community archives were destroyed. The castle, surrounded by a park of 19 hectares, comprised a distillery and a farm of 132 hectares, underwent shelling that damaged 66% of the property.
From March 29 to April 7, 1918, the town was the centre of a fierce battle.
Fighting hand-to-hand, with fixed bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s, the French and British troops cut off the road to Amiens to the Germans. Many soldiers were buried in unmarked graves, without any ceremony.
In June 1990, a commemorative stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
was erected by French and German ex-combatants.
Population
Places of interest
Grivesnes is fortunate to still have two ancient monuments, after the ravages of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
- The château. Around 1845, considerable restoration took place, replacing the original bright red-orange brick and white stone with sombre red bricks and grey stone. Modified again during the 1920s with little respect for its original appearance, with a shortened pavilion and roofed gracelessly.
- The church was built from 1835 to 1842, in the park of the château, in the RestorationBourbon RestorationThe Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
style. Recently classified as an important building of some significance. Attached to the church is the vault of the noble family of Beaurepaires de Louvagny.
- The château of Filescamps. (2 miles or so outside the village) After the bombardments of 1918, the building was ruined. All that’s left today is a farm and some outbuildings that once formed part of the chateau itself.