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

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

department in the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in northwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, located four kilometres from the urban agglomeration

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film F ...

- 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 (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

''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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...

''), 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 A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. No ...

, 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, his ...

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 I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

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 ...

also lived at the castle. *

Tony O'Reilly Sir Anthony Joseph Francis O'Reilly (born 7 May 1936) is an Irish former businessman and international rugby union player. He is known for his involvement in the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from 1973 to 2009,Dublin, Ireland, ...

, Irish businessman and former 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) {{Calvados-geo-stub