Bonneville-sur-Touques (, ''Bonneville on Touques'') is a commune in the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

department in the

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 ...

in northwestern

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 ...

, located four kilometres from the urban agglomeration

Deauville Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...

- Trouville. The commune is principally famous for its 11th-century castle, which protected the nearby supply port of Touques. The population is 325 (2019).Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019
INSEE

Etymology

The name ''Bonneville'' is attested as far back as 1014, when it appeared in the form ''Bonnavilla''.

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

''bonne'', or ''good'', already had its current meaning at that time, and ''ville'', or ''town'', which in placenames often has its original meaning of ''rural area'' (from the Latin ''villa rustica''), might here have the later sense of "village".

Government

The municipal council has 11 members, including the mayor and two deputies. List of Mayors

Demographics

Bonneville-sur-Touques's peak population was 476 in 1876.

Significant sites

* Château de Bonneville-sur-Touques, nicknamed "William the Conqueror's ruins" (11th century), classified as a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

since 16 November 1964 * Église Saint-Germain-et-Saint-Loup (18th century) * Manoir de la Croix de fer (''Iron Cross Manor''), bought in 2006 by Tatiana Beck, for 1 million euros.Jean-Pierre Beuve, ''Ouest-France'', 19 février 2009.

Notable residents

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 ...

frequently stayed at the castle when he went hunting in Saint-Gatien forest. *

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

also lived at the castle. *

Tony O'Reilly Sir Anthony John Francis O'Reilly (7 May 1936 – 18 May 2024) was an Irish businessman and international rugby union player. He was known for his try scoring in rugby, his involvement in the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from ...

, Irish businessman and international rugby player

References

External links

Bonneville-sur-Touques on ''La communauté de communes''
(French)
History and images of William the Conqueror's castle at Bonneville-sur-Touques
Communes of Calvados (department) {{Lisieux-geo-stub