Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
* Somme, Queensland, Australia
* Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), ...
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...
in northern
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
Flixecourt is situated on the N1 road and the banks of the river
Nièvre
Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
* Somme, Queensland, Australia
* Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), ...
, some south of
Abbeville
Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu.
Geography
Location
A ...
. A junction with the A16 autoroute is about a mile away.
History
In the 12th century, Flixecourt was a
fief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
of Amiens and the site of a
leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...
hospice
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...
.
The
fiefdom
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
passed to the Louvencourt family, then in 1276 to the Fieffes family, who built a
priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
, entrusting the management of it to the
vidame
Vidame () was a feudal title in France, a term descended from mediaeval Latin . Like the ''avoué'' or ''advocatus#In France, advocatus'', the ''vidame'' was originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of the diocese—with the consent ...
of
Picquigny
Picquigny () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
Picquigny is situated at the junction of the N235, the D141 and D3 roads, on the banks of the river Somme, some northwest (and downstream) o ...
.
The town that was established here had 140 homes at the start of the
Hundred Years War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...
but only 40 in 1548.
In 1545, Charles d'Ailly obtained permission from the King to create a weekly market. This privilege continued for his son, Louis d'Ailly, in 1567.
In 1603, a huge fire burnt down half the town.
Near the site of the present-day church are vestiges of a château, mentioned in a notarial document in 1618, in which Philibert-Emmanuel d'Ailly, granted the structure to a certain Louis de la Massonière if he financed repairs.
Towards the end of the French Revolution, the château belonged to the Croquoison family.
The present church was built in 1721.
The town's commerce at this time was based on the production of
peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
and of
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
.
In 1815, there were two
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...
s and two
windmill
A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery.
Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
s.
The discovery of a new natural fibre,
jute
Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
, changed the destiny of both the town and the region. In 1840, the Saint brothers set up a
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
factory, employing locals and
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
weavers. The factory was electrified in 1907. Before the outbreak of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, 14,000 people were employed here.
The town was the factory, and the factory was the town. The owners set in place all manner of improvements to the daily and social life of the workers. Piped water supplies and electricity to all homes, a school, a creche, a pharmacy, a maternity hospital and a co-operative.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the advent of artificial fibres, the factory went into irreversible decline.
Population
Places of interest
The town has a rich architectural heritage, typical of the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. Many are in a bad state of repair. Some have been restored but more needs to be done.
* The château (''Folly'') of the Saint family
* The buildings of ‘La Prévoyance’, near the railway
* The church (the tower was rebuilt in 1940)
* The railway station, dating from 1875, (destroyed by a fire at the beginning of the 21st century)
Mairie de Flixecourt 3.jpg, Town hall.
Flixecourt, usine Saint Frères 1.jpg, Saint Frères factory.
Flixecourt, Somme, Fr château.jpg, Château de la Navette.
Flixecourt, Somme, Fr château blanc.jpg, Château blanc.
Château rouge à Flixecourt 1.jpg, Château rouge.
Flixecourt, institut rural de la Somme 1.jpg, Institut rural de la Somme.
Flixecourt, Moulin Basile 3.jpg, Moulin Basile.
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
, was born in Flixecourt, as was former World and Olympic
track cycling
Track cycling is a Cycle sport, bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles.
History
Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its i ...