The Bresle (; ) is a river in the northwest of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

that flows into 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 Kana ...

Le Tréport Le Tréport () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy, France. Geography A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some northeast of Dieppe at the junction of the D 940, the D 78 and t ...

. It crosses the departements of

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...

, Somme and

Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of 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. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...

. It is long.

Introduction

For a long time, the course of the Bresle (especially the lower part) has had the role of a natural national frontier, serving as the boundary between powerful and often antagonistic political entities. It separated the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

provinces of Belgian

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

from

Lyonnais The Lyonnais () is a historical province of France which owes its name to the city of Lyon. The geographical area known as the ''Lyonnais'' became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy after the division of the Carolingian Empire. The disintegratio ...

Gaul, the Talou county (

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...

) and the Vimeu during the

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 Gauli ...

period, the county of

Ponthieu Ponthieu (, ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu play ...

, France and the

Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a result of the Norman c ...

from the 10th century and also the taxation areas of Rouen and

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

. Today, the half-

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, half- Picardy verdant, lake-filled valley carries on its traditional quality glass industry that started in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The presence of numerous small enterprises dotted around the small towns and villages along its banks hasn't compromised the rich environment, which has a wide variety of flora and fauna that thrive. The quality of the water of the Bresle is such that

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

and sea-

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

can be found in great number.

Etymology

In his ''Géographie'',

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

called it the ''Phroudis''.The etymology of the Bresle
on www.marikavel.org. Until the 13th century, various other names were given to the river: ''Auvae fluvium'', ''Aucia fluvium'', ''Auga'' in the 10th century and ''Ou'' in the 11th century. When the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

arrived, they called it the ''Brisela''. It has been subsequently noted in various documents as ''Bresla'', ''Brella'', ''Breselle'', ''Briselle'', ''Brisele'', ''Brisella'' before the definitive name was agreed at the end of the 17th century.

Geography

The Bresle starts its life at Abancourt, a commune of the

, at around 200 metres above sea-level and flows northwest over the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

Formerie Formerie () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Boutavent was merged into Formerie.Senarpont Senarpont () is a commune in the Somme department and Hauts-de-France region of northern France. Geography Senarpont is situated at the confluence of the rivers Liger and Bresle some 42 km west of Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; p ...

, it's joined by the Liger, its main tributary. It then takes a turn to the west-northwest, the same direction as most rivers of the

and the Somme.
After having received the waters of the Vimeuse at

Gamaches Gamaches () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Gamaches is situated on the D1015, on the banks of the river Bresle, the border with Seine-Maritime, some southwest of Abbeville.Huge lakes to ...

, the river splits into several branches (the Teinturerie and the Busine) at Eu and a part is canalised between Eu and Le Tréport.
Between these two last places, the Bresle flows into a wide grassy valley one kilometre wide, framed by steep edges and dropping by 100 metres into the wooded dry valleys. This valley shows evidence of the former course of the river when it used to meet the sea at

Mers-les-Bains Mers-les-Bains () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D1015 road, some west of Abbeville, Mers-les-Bains faces the English Channel near the mouth of the river ...

up until the Middle Ages. The former estuary forms a part of Eu today, in a district known as the "Prairie".
In the 12th century, the redirecting of the course of the Bresle, rather than digging a canal, brought its outlet to

. The valley of the Bresle forms the northern part of the

Paris Basin The Paris Basin is one of the major geological regions of France. It developed since the Triassic over remnant uplands of the Variscan orogeny (Hercynian orogeny). The sedimentary basin, no longer a single drainage basin, is a large sag in th ...

, made up of

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period. As it is porous, the basin contains natural

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

s, very important in maintaining a water supply for both irrigation of crops and drinking water. File:La Bresle canalisée entre Eu et Le Tréport.jpg, The canalised Bresle File:Bresle.jpg, Satellite view of the Bresle File:Bresle Drainage Basin-fr.svg, Map of the Bresle File:La Bresle au centre d'Eu (vue vers l'aval).jpg, The Bresle at Eu File:La Bresle au centre d'Eu (vue vers l'amont).jpg, The Bresle at Eu

Flora and fauna

The valley has a huge range of plants varying from

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs ...

and

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

to trees such as juniper and beech (notably ‘’asperulo-fagetum'').
Common animals in the upper valley include the

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

and

wild cat Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the dom ...

, but it’s also home to rarer creatures, four types of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

and four kinds of

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...

, including the ''

Coenagrion mercuriale ''Coenagrion mercuriale'', the southern damselfly, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in Algeria, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, ...

'', not found anywhere else in France.
Many wildfowl winter in the valley, such as the

little grebe The little grebe (''Tachybaptus ruficollis''), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhus'' "fast" and ''bapto'' "to sink under". The specific ''ruficollis'' is from Lati ...

, the

great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. Taxonomy The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...

and

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually ...

Angling

The Bresle has plenty of fishing for all kinds of anglers, from sea-

in the lower valley and brown trout upstream, to huge carp,

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

, roach and

bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Acanthopagrus'', ''Argyrops'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', ''Etelis'', '' L ...

in both the lakes and the river.

Places of interest

Museums devoted to the glass industry are open to the public at Eu (''musée "Traditions verrières"'') and at Blangy-sur-Bresle (at the ''manoir de Fontaine'').Albert Hennetier, ''Aux sources normandes: Promenade au fil des rivières en Seine-Maritime'', p. 82 They show the history of glass and bottle-making, the different stages of the process (from the base materials through to packaging), the tools and modern machines, the collections of perfume bottles and demonstrations of glass-blowing by experts. The signposted ''Chemin des étangs'' (eng:the lakes path) allows walkers and cyclists to roam the lower part of the valley, between Eu and Incheville.
Many aquatic activities (sailing, canoeing etc.) can be enjoyed on the hundreds of lakes formed by the river.

Bibliography

* J.-C. Lecat, ''La région industrielle de la Bresle'', Études normandes, n°222, 3^e trimestre 1969. * Jacques Hétru, ''Le verre: l’art et la matière'', Éd. Bertout,

Luneray Luneray () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region in northern France. Geography A small town of farming and light industry situated in the ...

, 1996 * Philippe Gillet, ''Pochet Le Courval, Les maîtres du verre et du feu : quatre siècles d’excellence'', Perrin, Paris, 1998 * Albert Hennetier, ''Aux sources normandes: Promenade au fil des rivières en

'', Éd. Bertout,

, 2006 * J.-L. Mériaux, J. Duvigneaud, J.-R. Wattez, M. Coste et F. Sueur, ''Étude inter-agences. Connaissance et fonctionnement des milieux aquatiques. Relevés floristiques. Déterminations taxonomiques et physico-chimie sur 12 cours d’eau français. Application aux rivières Aa et Bresle''. Agence Eau Seine-Normandie, AMBE, 1995, 72 p. * J.-L. Mériaux, J. Duvigneaud, J.-R. Wattez, M. Coste et F. Sueur, ''Étude inter-agences. Connaissance et fonctionnement des milieux aquatiques. Relevés floristiques. Déterminations taxonomiques et physico-chimie sur 12 cours d’eau français. Fichier Bresle''. Agence Eau Seine-Normandie, AMBE, 1995, 579 p.

Notes

External links

*
Website of the Institution Interdépartementale Oise, Seine-Maritime et Somme

Website about the history of glassmaking in the valley of the Bresle.
*
Suggests walks in the valley of the Bresle.
{{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Oise Rivers of Seine-Maritime Rivers of Somme (department) Rivers of Hauts-de-France Rivers of Normandy 0Bresle