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), a ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...
Grivesnes is situated on the D26 road, some south of Amiens.
History
A castle is reputed to have existed before the Jacquerie uprising of 1358 (which started in this district), but sources lack any substance.
A 15th century manor house was destroyed by
Burgundian Burgundian can refer to any of the following:
*Someone or something from Burgundy.
*Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe, who first appear in history in South East Europe. Later Burgundians colonised the area of Gaul that is now known as Burgundy (F ...
troops during their retreat from
Beauvais
Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris.
The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous ...
after the victory of Jeanne Hachette.
Between 1611, the date of his marriage, and 1640, the date of his death, Louis of Goussencourt erected the principal parts of the château.
Enlarged in the 18th century, the château was very much part of 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
{{disambig ...
and when, during the French Revolution, it was decided to confiscate the property, the Count of Grivesnes didn't oppose it, as his son (Louis-Henri (1766–1849)) had already emigrated to Quebec.
During the auctions of 1793 and 1794, the castle was sold as national property. An inhabitant of Grivesnes, Roch Théry, whose family had lived in the parish for more than two centuries, purchased some of the land as well as the mill, although it was later returned to its owners. The entire site was sold in 1899 to an Amiens notary by the name of Lenain.
During the First World War, the town was ravaged and all the community archives were destroyed. The castle, surrounded by a park of 19 hectares, comprised a distillery and a farm of 132 hectares, underwent shelling that damaged 66% of the property.
From March 29 to April 7, 1918, the town was the centre of a fierce battle.
Fighting hand-to-hand, with fixed
bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
s, the French and British troops cut off the road to Amiens to the Germans. Many soldiers were buried in unmarked graves, without any ceremony. In June 1990, a commemorative
stele
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
was erected by French and German ex-combatants.
Population
Places of interest
Grivesnes is fortunate to still have two ancient monuments, after the ravages of World War I.
* The château. Around 1845, considerable restoration took place, replacing the original bright red-orange brick and white stone with sombre red bricks and grey stone. Modified again during the 1920s with little respect for its original appearance, with a shortened pavilion and roofed gracelessly.
* The church was built from 1835 to 1842, in the park of the château, in the Restoration style. Recently classified as an important building of some significance.Compte-rendu de la CSMH du 24 janvier 2005. Attached to the church is the vault of the noble family of Beaurepaires de Louvagny.
* The château of Filescamps. (2 miles or so outside the village) After the bombardments of 1918, the building was ruined. All that's left today is a farm and some outbuildings that once formed part of the chateau itself.
Grivesnes (Somme) (5).JPG, The school of Grivesnes.
Grivesnes mairie 1.jpg, Town hall.
Grivesnes (Somme).JPG, The church Saint Aignan.