Les Préaux () is a commune in the

Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.department and

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

The commune along with another 69 communes shares part of a 4,747 hectare,

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

conservation area, called

Risle, Guiel, Charentonne Risle, Guiel, Charentonne is a Natura 2000 site around the rivers and valleys of the Risle, Charentonne, Guiel and their tributaries and valleys of these rivers. Geography The area is 4,747 hectares in size and is mostly within the Eure departm ...

History

Several archaeological discoveries carried out on the territory of the commune testify to a human presence since the Neolithic period. Polished axes were brought to light in the nineteenth century. On the plateau of Mont-les-Mares, a Gallo-Roman villa was discovered near the old route traced at the beginning of our era called "Perrey Road".

Middle Ages

During the High Middle Ages, the topographic features of the valley provided favorable conditions for the foundation of a first abbey, located on the site of the current town hall. This pre-Roman abbey was mentioned in 833 by the Abbé Anségise de Fontenelle.Comment vivait-on au moyen âge dans la région de Pont-Audemer, d'après les chartes des abbayes de Préaux (XIe-XIIIe siècle), par Lucien Musset, connaissance de l’Eure, n°31. During the

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n migrations, the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

was destroyed but not forgotten. In 1033–1034, Onfroy de Vieilles mentioned the presence of the old abbey in the founding charter of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Préaux, which was then built on the same site. On this occasion, Préaux is mentioned for the first time in a text in its Latin form ''Pratellum'' ("pasture").Cartulaire saint Pierre de Préaux, n°286, fol. 97 r°, Gall. Christ., t. XI, Instr. Col. 199. In 1050–1051, Onfroy de Vieilles, following the wish of his wife Albérade, founded a second abbey for

women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...

, Abbey Saint-Léger, located downstream, which saw 37 abbesses succeed. The foundation of these two abbeys is of considerable importance for the Préaux territory and the entire region. The charters of the abbeys and lords illustrate the many donations in land and in nature which are provided abbeys.ROUET Dominique, Le Cartulaire de l’abbaye bénédictine de Saint-Pierre-de-Préaux (1034-1227), éditions du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques, Paris, 2005. Saint Peter's Abbey became an influential player in the region and oversaw the construction of parish churches. At the end of the 11th century, Saint-Pierre de Préaux was thus at the origin of the parish church Saint-Germain de Pont-Audemer. At the beginning of the 12th century, an

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

himself built a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

at Saint-Samson. In the immediate vicinity of the abbeys, on the territory of the present commune of Préaux, two parishes were created: the parish of Notre-Dame linked to Saint-Pierre, and the Saint-Michel parish associated with Saint-Léger. Parish churches are created to host mass for laypeople who come to work and live near the abbey. In the second half of the twelfth century, the monks of St. Peter attempted to found a city next to the monastery. In 1078, a village charter was mentioned in the cartulary. This custom indicates the will to set up a privilege policy in the Préaux to attract "bourgeois" or new inhabitants. The legal status of town implies that the city escaped the feudal authority of a lord. This allowed the inhabitants to escape taxes. At that time, only the city of Pont-Audemer was also called village.Essai historique et archéologique Canel, p.395. We have no knowledge of the characteristics of the custom applied to the Prunes. Musset refers to the laws of Burgundy Breteuil which can give similar examples found in

. In any case, the project of turning the territory into a village was a failure. In 1106, Robert de Meulan, the local lord granted a suburban right only to Pont-Audemer. The village of Préaux was not indicated in the act of the Lord. However, a hamlet really existed since the Middle Ages in the locality. Alfred Canel reports that Préaux is mentioned as a villa in a 14th-century act. Until the Revolution, the territory of the two parishes of Préaux did not undergo profound changes. The abbeys governed agricultural activities. They owned two farms: the Bosc-Auber farm belonging to Saint-Pierre and the Corbeaumont farm linked to Saint-Léger17. The monasteries also exploited the hydraulic power of the stream. Each of the abbeys has its own mill located in their enclosure and a downstream mill downstream where their vassals were required to grind their

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

.SOREL Patrick, Les deux abbayes Saint Pierre et Saint Léger de Préaux et leurs moulins, Connaissance de l’Eure, n°132, avril 2004.

French Revolution

The French Revolution was an important turning point in the history of the town. The two abbeys that were the economic engine of the territory were sold as national property. The district of Pont-Audemer, a constituency created by the Revolution, thought to merge the two parishes. These were renamed a time Préaux-la-Montagne for Saint Pierre de Préaux, and Préaux-la-Liberté for Saint Michel de Préaux. The communes of Notre-Dame-de-Préaux and Saint-Michel-de-Préaux were finally reunited in 1844. The parishes were also merged, and Notre-Dame became the parish church of the town at the expense of the Saint-Michel church sold in 1881. The same year, the town inaugurated its first municipal building: a town hall-school was delivered by the architect Chupeau-Hauteville. In 1904, the public school of boys was transformed into a mixed school, an additional class.

Former Chapman Factory building

During the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the valley experienced a remarkable industrial boom. The four mills formerly belonging to the abbeys were bought by the Revolution and then transformed by bakers and manufacturers. As such, the fate of the mill Saint-Pierre near the Fortin fountain is evocative. Originally a wheat mill, it became a wire laundry in 1855, and hydraulic energy is then used to power a mechanical weaver. In 1868, then in 1885, the factory was successively taken over by companies specializing in the production of fabrics, then waxed or varnished fabrics. The industrial site was booming, several buildings were built, and a steam engine was installed to replace the mill.Archives départementales de l'Eure, Matrices cadastrales Les Préaux In 1888, the company was taken over by Chapman, which until the 1930s carried out modernization work to improve the manufacturing process of oilcloths. In 1949, the factory was taken over by the company Les Fils d'Émile Sénéchal. In 1979–1980, the factory stopped its activity.

Population

The population data given in the table and graph below for 1962 and earlier are excluding the former commune of Saint-Michel-de-Préaux, absorbed in 1844.

Notable people

* Guillaume de Poitiers (born in the Préaux around 1020), chronicler, author of a story of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

* Maxime Legendre (1861-1911),

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

; died in the Préaux

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preaux Communes of Eure