Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Dieppe is a

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

on the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England. Famous for its scallops, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc s ...

, a 15th-century castle and the churches of Saint-Jacques and Saint-Remi. The mouth of the river Scie lies at Hautot-sur-Mer, directly to the west of Dieppe. The inhabitants of the town of Dieppe are called ''Dieppois'' (m) and ''Dieppoise'' (f) in French.

History

First recorded as a small

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

settlement in 1030, Dieppe was an important prize fought over during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

. Dieppe housed the most advanced French school of cartography in the 16th century. Two of France's best navigators, Michel le Vasseur and his brother Thomas le Vasseur, lived in Dieppe when they were recruited to join the expedition of René Goulaine de Laudonnière which departed

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

for

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

on April 20, 1564. The expedition resulted in the construction of Fort Caroline, the first French colony in the New World. Another expedition two years before where Goulaine de Laudonnière was under command of

Jean Ribault Jean Ribault (also spelled ''Ribaut'') (1520 – October 12, 1565) was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida. A ...

, a local Huguenot captain, had resulted in the foundation of Charlesfort, now in South Carolina. Dieppe was the premier port of the kingdom in the 17th century. After King Edward VI died, putting an end to a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

country in England on July 6, 1553, John Knox left England to evade the Catholic-fist of Mary I. First, under the permission of his friends, he went back to his home country of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Then after he stayed in Dieppe for a few months, he continued on his tracks and stayed in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

. There he met one of his influences,

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

. On July 23, 1632, 300 colonists heading to

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

departed from Dieppe. At the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Dieppe lost 3,000 of its

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

citizens, who fled abroad. Dieppe was an important target in wartime; the town was largely destroyed by an Anglo- Dutch naval bombardment in 1694. It was rebuilt after 1696 in a typical French classical style by Ventabren, an architect, who gave it its unique feature for a sea port. It was popularised as a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...

following the 1824 visit of the widowed

Duchess of Berry Duke of Berry (french: Duc de Berry) or Duchess of Berry (french: Duchesse de Berry) was a title in the Peerage of France. The Duchy of Berry, centred on Bourges, was originally created as an appanage for junior members of the French royal famil ...

, daughter-in-law of Charles X. She encouraged the building of the recently renovated municipal

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

, the ''Petit-Théâtre'' (1825), associated particularly with Camille Saint-Saëns. During the later 19th century, Dieppe became popular with English artists as a

beach resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...

. Prominent literary figures such as Arthur Symons loved to keep up with the latest fads of

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

France here, and during "the season" sometimes stayed for weeks on end.

Second World War

Dieppe Dawn 19 August 1942 stained glass Currie Hall

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Dieppe was occupied by German naval and army forces after the fall of France in 1940. In order to allow a better defence of the coast against a possible Allied landing, the Germans destroyed the mauresque casino that was located near the beach area. The destruction of the casino had only begun at the time of the Dieppe Raid. The raid proved a costly lesson for the Allies. On August 19, 1942, Allied soldiers, mainly drawn from the

2nd Canadian Infantry Division The 2nd Canadian Division, an infantry division of the Canadian Army, was mobilized for war service on 1September 1939 at the outset of World War II. Adopting the designation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, it was initially composed of ...

, landed at Dieppe in the hope of occupying the town for a short time, gaining intelligence and drawing the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

'' into open battle. The Allies suffered more than 1,400 deaths, 907 Canadian, and 1,946 Canadian soldiers were captured – more prisoners than the army lost in the 11 months of the 1944–45 NW Europe campaign. However, no major objectives were achieved. More recent research suggests the raid was a massive cover for an intelligence operation to capture German code machine components. French soldiers from the region, captured in the fighting of 1940, were returned to the area after the Dieppe Raid as a reward by the German occupation authorities, who felt that the conduct of the French civilians in Dieppe had been correct and had not hindered the defence of the port during the battle. The port remained garrisoned by German forces until the conclusion of the Battle of Normandy. When the First Canadian Army approached at the end of August, the garrison withdrew, not desiring to enter into battle for the port. Dieppe was liberated on September 1, 1944, by soldiers from the

. On September 3, the entire division paused for reorganization, and a victory parade was held; contingents representing all major units of the 2nd Division marched 10 abreast behind the massed pipes and drums of the division's highland regiments. A memorial service was held in the nearby Canadian military cemetery to honour those killed in the Dieppe Raid.

Post-war

Dieppe, a city in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada, received its present name in 1946, in honour of the commemoration of the 913 Canadian soldiers killed in the Dieppe Raid. The majority of its inhabitants are of

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the desc ...

descent.

Notable people

* Jean Ango (1480–1551), ship owner * Jean Asselin (v. 1610–1652), painter and drawer * Jean Cousin (15th century), navigator * Jean Crasset (1618–1692), writer * François-Antoine-Henri Descroizilles (1751–1825), chemist * Adrien de Pauger (?–1726), engineer and architect of the Vieux Carré at

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

* Pierre de Chauvin, sieur de Tonnetuit (1575–1603), Huguenot trader at Honfleur * Isaac de Caus (1590–1648) architect engineer *

Abraham Duquesne Abraham Duquesne, marquis du Bouchet (2 February 1688) was a French naval officer, who also saw service as an admiral in the Swedish navy. He was born in Dieppe, a seaport, in 1610, and was a Huguenot. He was the son of a naval officer and ther ...

(1610–1688), general lieutenant of the French Navy Buste de Duquesne exposé au Musée de la Marine

* Charles Le Moyne, (1626–1685), colonist of New France, first lord of Longueuil *

Jean Mauger Jean Mauger (1648 – 9 September 1712) was a French medallist. Mauger was born in Dieppe. After training as an ivory engraver in his hometown, he relocated to Paris in 1677. He worked at the Paris mint from 1685 until his death. He was married ...

(1648–1712), artist *

Jean Pecquet Jean Pecquet (9 May 1622, Dieppe, Seine-Maritime – 26 February 1674) was a French scientist. He studied the expansion of air, wrote on psychology, and is also known for investigating the thoracic duct. Furthermore, he studied the nature of visi ...

(1622–1674), physiologist * Jean Parmentier (1494–1529), navigator and poet *

(1520–1565), corsaire Protestant * Richard Simon (1638–1712), historian * Antoine-Augustin Bruzen de La Martinière (1683–1746), scientist * Joseph Lavallée (1747–1816), poet, journalist and novelist *

Mary Odette Marie Odette Goimbault (10 August 1901 – 26 March 1987), known professionally as Mary Odette, was a French-born film actress. Odette starred in a number of films made by Astra Films. After the slump of 1924 dramatically reduced the number o ...

(1901–1987), actress * Bruno Braquehais (1823–1875), photographer * Albert Réville (1826–1906), theologist * Emmanuel Masqueray (1861–1917), architect *

Ernest Henri Dubois Ernest Henri Dubois (March 16, 1863 in Dieppe; December 30, 1930 in Paris), was a French sculptor. He enrolled in 1881 at the École des Arts décoratiif and then attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he studied under Alexandre Falgui ...

(1863–1930), sculptor * André Alerme (1877–1960), actor * Louis de Broglie (1892–1987),

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

–winning physicist *

Jean Rédélé Jean Rédélé (17 May 1922, Dieppe, Seine-Maritime – 10 August 2007 Paris), was an automotive pioneer, pilot and founder of the French automotive brand Alpine. With a HEC diploma, he was the youngest Renault dealer in France, with a dealersh ...

(1922–2007), founder of the

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

car factory *

Pierre Dupuis Pierre Dupuis or Pierre Dupuys (3 March 1610 in Montfort-l'Amaury – 18 February 1682 in Paris) was a French painter. He lived in Italy, where he met Pierre Mignard (1612–1695) in 1637. He was a specialist of still life A still ...

(1610–1682), painter * Yvonne Lephay-Belthoise (1914–2011), classical pianist * Jean-Paul Villain (born 1946), athlete * Valérie Lemercier (born 1964), actress *

Olivier Frébourg Olivier Frébourg (14 September 1965, Dieppe) is a French journalist, writer and publisher. Career As a journalist, he wrote for ''Libération'', '' Le Figaro Littéraire'', '' Géo'' (as great reporter), ''le Figaro Magazine'', ', ' and severa ...

(born 1965), writer * Victor Langlois (1829–1869), historian * Emmanuel "Manu" Petit, (born 1970) a World Cup–winning footballer * St. Jean de Lalande SJ, a 17th-century

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

brother who was martyred by the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

Indians in present-day

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

* St.

Antoine Daniel Antoine Daniel (27 May, 1601 – 4 July, 1648) was a French Jesuit missionary in North America, at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, and one of the eight Canadian Martyrs. Life Daniel was born at Dieppe, in Normandy, on 27 May, 1601. After two y ...

SJ, martyr and saint * Thomas Pesquet (born 1978), astronaut, aerospace engineer and pilot

Geography

Dieppe belongs to the Pays de Caux, lying along the

Alabaster Coast Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. It is located on the Channel coast, north of Rouen at the mouth of the river Arques and lies east of the mouth of the river Scie.

Climate

Toponymy

Mentioned as ''Deppae'' in 1015–1029, ''Dieppa'' in 1030, then in the 12th century: ''Deppa'', ''Deupa'' and ''Diopa''. From Old English ''dēop'' or Old Norse ''djúpr'' "deep", same meaning.Beaurepaire 67 The Nominalization from an Old English or Norse adjective, being unusual, ''dēop'' / ''djúpr'' could be followed by the Old English word ''ǣ'' / ''ea'' or Old Norse ''á'' "stream, river" (cf. Djúpá, river in Iceland).Jean Renaud, ''Vikings et noms de lieux de Normandie'', OREP éditions, Cully, 2009, p. 40. The same adjective can be recognized in other place-names like Dieppedalle (f. e. Saint-Vaast-Dieppedalle) and Dipdal in Normandy, which is the same as Deepdale in Great Britain. The stream running through Dieppe was called ''Tella'' in

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gaul ...

and Carolingian documents, before being called ''Dieppe'' in the 10th century. The name has stuck to the town, although the name of the stream changed again, to Béthune.

Heraldry

Historical images of Dieppe

File:Dieppe-port.jpg, View of Dieppe's ''Grand quai'' File:Joseph_Mallord_William_Turner_-_The_Harbor_of_Dieppe_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg,

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbul ...

, ''The Harbor of Dieppe'', 1826 File:The Basket Shop, Rue St Jean, Dieppe - Walter Richard Sickert - ABDAG000288.jpg, Walter Sickert, The Basket Shop, Rue St Jean, Dieppe, c. 1911 - 1912, Aberdeen Art Gallery File:Boillot-ACF-GP1912.jpg, Georges Boillot winning the 1912 French Grand Prix in Dieppe File:Carl Spitzweg 051.jpg, Carl Spitzweg's painting ''Frauenbad in Dieppe III'' File:Frits Thaulow-Fra Dieppe med elven Arques.jpg,

Frits Thaulow Frits Thaulow (20 October 1847 – 5 November 1906) was a Norwegian Impressionist painter, best known for his naturalistic depictions of landscape. Biography Johan Frederik Thaulow was born in Christiania, the son of a wealthy chemist, Hara ...

's ''Fra Dieppe med elven Arques'' (''From Dieppe with the river Arques'') File:Ernst Oppler - Beach.jpg, Ernst Oppler ''At the beach'' (c. 1912) File:Nicolae Vermont - Plaja (la Dieppe).jpg, Nicolae Vermont's painting ''View of Dieppe's beach'' (1929) File:Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Old castle, Dieppe, France. ca. 1895.jpg, The castle in the 1890s File:Dieppe 18 June 1945 RG373 AERIALFILM A6720 DN5852 OBL 067 01.jpg, Aerial photograph taken in June, 1945

Population

Sights

The castle, Château de Dieppe, which survived the 1694 bombardment, is now a museum and exhibition space, with a strong maritime collection. A rich collection of 17th- and 18th-century ivory carvings, including lacy folding fans, for which Dieppe was known, and the furnishings and papers of Camille Saint-Saëns. The castle's interior courtyard is picturesque. At the Square du Canada, near the castle in a park at the western end of the Esplanade, there is a monument erected by the town commemorating the long relationship between Dieppe and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. The events recorded begin with the early 16th century, and culminate with the Dieppe Raid and the liberation of Dieppe by Canadians on September 1, 1944. The base of the monument is inscribed with the words "''nous nous souvenons''" ("we remember"). Above the monument, the Canadian Maple Leaf flag is flown side by side with that of France. The Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel of Dieppe stands on the coast. Some of the Canadian soldiers who were killed are buried in the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, in the ''commune'' of Saint-Aubin-sur-Scie south-west of Dieppe. File:CastleDieppe.JPG, Château-musée de Dieppe File:Château-musée de Dieppe.jpg, Château-musée File:Dieppe.JPG, The harbour File:Dieppe2.JPG, The waterfront

Transport

Dieppe railway station, operated by

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffic ...

, has frequent departures for Rouen-Rive-Droite. SNCF operates also buses to Gisors-Embranchement through Serqueux. Dieppe has a ferry port with direct services to the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

town of Newhaven, situated at the mouth of the River Ouse in

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

. The twice-daily service to the Port of Newhaven is operated by DFDS Seaways, under a concession subsidised by the French government. Services are normally operated using the MS Côte D'Albâtre.

Current services

* DFDS Seaways (Newhaven: two sailings daily)

Former services

* Hoverspeed (Newhaven: three sailings daily). Withdrawn in 2004. * P&O Stena Line (Newhaven: three sailings daily). Withdrawn in 1999.

Administration

The current mayor of Dieppe is Nicolas Langlois. Member of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European ...

, he was elected in 2017, and re-elected in 2020.

Economy

Historically a major fishing hub, it is still home to a large ferry port and one of the busiest ports in Europe; in the 17th Century the Dieppe Company operated from the port. Until the mid 19th Century the Ave Maria lace, a hand-made lace manufacturer was largely based in Dieppe. Currently the town is now home to the Alpine Automobiles global headquarters.

Sport

The town is home to FC Dieppe, one of the oldest football clubs in the country having been founded in 1896.

International relations

Dieppe is twinned with * Brighton, United Kingdom *

Dieppe, New Brunswick Dieppe () is a city in the Canadian maritime province of New Brunswick. Statistics Canada counted the population at 28,114 in 2021, making it the fourth-largest city in the province. Dieppe's history and identity goes back to the eighteenth ...

, Canada

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* A tragedy in Dieppe with Oscar Wild
The importance of being Sebastian - in Dieppe - Normandy Then and Now

Dieppe Town Council website

Transmanche Ferries
who connect Dieppe and Newhaven (this was previously done by Hoverspeed until 2004).
Gare Maritime Photographs
* {{Authority control Communes of Seine-Maritime Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast Ports and harbours of the English Channel Subprefectures in France