Oherville
Encyclopedia
Oherville is a commune
in the Seine-Maritime
department in the Haute-Normandie
region in northern France
.
, situated some 30 miles (48.3 km) northeast of Le Havre
, at the junction of the D131 and D105 roads and in the wooded
valley of the river Durdent.
‘’villa’’.
The commune is made up of the union of two hamlets, Oherville, first mentioned in 1240 and Auffray, mentioned in 1040.
The existence of a feudal motte
indicates the presence of a medieval castle on the site. The first seigneurs
of the place are mentioned in 1170. In the Middle Ages
it was a dependancy of the Duchy of Longueville. Oherville was a fiefdom
under the lordship of Veauville until the 16th century.
The village’s position by the banks of the Durdent river led the construction of a number of mills.
These were used for various processes, from grinding corn to the pressing of oil and the production of linen
from flax
. Traces of some of these mills can still be found.
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 Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
department in the Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
region 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
A very small farming village in the Pays de CauxPays de Caux
The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs on the English Channel coast - its coastline is known as the Côte d'Albâtre...
, situated some 30 miles (48.3 km) northeast of Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, at the junction of the D131 and D105 roads and in the wooded
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
valley of the river Durdent.
History
The origin of the name is from the Germanic man's name ‘’Odardus’’ and from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
‘’villa’’.
The commune is made up of the union of two hamlets, Oherville, first mentioned in 1240 and Auffray, mentioned in 1040.
The existence of a feudal motte
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
indicates the presence of a medieval castle on the site. The first seigneurs
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
of the place are mentioned in 1170. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it was a dependancy of the Duchy of Longueville. Oherville was a fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
under the lordship of Veauville until the 16th century.
The village’s position by the banks of the Durdent river led the construction of a number of mills.
These were used for various processes, from grinding corn to the pressing of oil and the production of linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
from flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
. Traces of some of these mills can still be found.
Heraldry
Population
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | 186 | 168 | 170 | 164 | 160 | 178 |
| Starting in 1962: Population without duplicates | ||||||
Places of interest
- The church of Notre-Dame, dating from the sixteenth century.
- Auffray manorhouse and its dovecoteDovecoteA dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
, dating from the fifteenth century. - Nonnettes manorhouse, dating from the sixteenth century.
- The remains of the medieval castleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
. - The Moulin de Chanterive watermillWatermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
.