Conty () is a commune in the

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), ...

department in

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 ...

Origin of the name

Conty comes from ''cond'' (confluence) (of the rivers and streams in the valley). The

Princes of Conti Prince of Conti (French: ''prince de Conti'') was a French noble title, assumed by a cadet branch of the princely house of Princes of Condé, Bourbon-Condé. History The title derives its name from Conty, a small town in northern France, c. 35&nb ...

, a minor branch of French royalty, took their name from Conty.

Geography

The commune comprises the village Conty and two hamlets: Luzières and Wailly (since 1973). Situated on the D920 road, some southwest of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

. Junction 17 of the A16 autoroute is just away. Nestling by the banks of the river Selle (a tributary of the

) that, at Conty, comprises several small branches that converge here.

Economic and tourist activities

* The Ateliers du Val de Selle, created in 1970, is a centre for those artisans involved with horses, riding and carriage-driving. * The SIC (Société industrielle de Conty), created in 1928, specialises in non-ferrous foundry work, * The Selle sawmills. * The Coulée verte, a public right-of-way, is used by ramblers, cyclists and riders alike. For over 10 miles, it follows part of an old railway line between

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

and

, which closed in 1979. * The Cabinet du Dr Dutilloy, a classic example of 20th-century French medical architecture, is worth visiting. Guided tours on request.

Population

History

The river, the woods and the promontory, which dominates the valley, were the contributing factors for populating the area. Recent quarrying has exposed evidence of prehistoric life in the district, in the shape of bones and tools.
Conty is on the old

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

remains have been found, in the form of burial sites.
In the 10th century, the Norman

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

system was in place at Conty. The first ‘seigneur’ ''Oger de Conty'', is mentioned in 1044.
During the

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

, the wars between France and its neighbours affect Conty as it did many northern French towns
In 1589, the castle was taken by the Catholic League of

.
Fires burned the village down several times, in 1691, 1709, 1734, 1809, 1812, 1825 and 1827
In 1758, melting snow created a major flood throughout the town.
In 1790, because of rioting, the National guard were called to the town to restore order.
1832 and

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

breaks out. The marshy nature of the ground is blamed for the epidemic.
Around 1850, the new market hall was built, replacing an old wooden structure. Constructed of brick and roofed with slate by the architect Firmin Lombard. It was not just a market, but the council chamber, Mayor’s office and a court. In 1907, Battersby Hats, a hat manufacturer of

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

, England, bought a second factory in Conty, and it was managed by William John Battersby's son, Ernest. 1876 saw the coming of the railway to the town. By 1939, it was closed to all but freight traffic and it shut down completely in 1979.

Places of interest

*The castle The first castle, built after the rampages of

Attila the Hun Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central and East ...

around 450, was later laid waste by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

. Colart de Mailly rebuilt it in 1430. It was seized on 23 October 1589 by the Catholic League from

, who decided to pull it down. Conty’s inhabitants refused to participate in the demolition. Jehan de Morlencourt and a Captain Saint-Jean were charged with the mission by the council of Amiens. It took eight days hard work to complete the task. All that's apparent nowadays is a mound with a notice board with ‘motte féodale’ on it. Image:CONTY - L'Hospice.jpg, Saint-Antoine's hospice Image:Goubet - CONTY - La Gare.JPG, The old railway station Image:CONTY - La Place et les Halles.JPG, The old market building *Church of Saint-Antoine Dating from the 15th and 16th century, the stone church is in the

Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...

Gothic style. The plan is the shape of a cross, about 30 meters long by 21 metres wide. The magnificent square tower is 33 metres high. The hanging sculptures in the vaulting and the gargoyles on the tower are deemed worthy of a look. The coat of arms of the Conti family, who were ‘seigneurs’ of Conty, can be seen in the left

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

. Some 18th-century wooden statues decorate the area around the altar. *Chateau of Wailly In the town, at the end of a grand avenue, is to be found the remains, in brick and stone, of the old château of Wailly. Built in

Louis XIII style The Louis XIII style or ''Louis Treize'' was a fashion in French art and French architecture, architecture, especially affecting the visual arts, visual and decorative arts. Its distinctness as a period in the history of French art has much to do ...

, in a semi-circular design. Very few archives exist relating the history of the construction of the château. Building began about 1640 and continued to 1690. Around 1785, a new building was constructed next to the ruins of the old one. In September 1944,

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...

established his general headquarters here. *Chateau of Luzières The château de Luzières is found in the hamlet of Luzières, to the south of Conty, in the small valley leading to Belleuse. It was built in the years 1770-1793.
In the grounds, surrounded by water, are some older dependencies, from around 1715. The château, of neoclassical design, is built of torching, on foundations of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, with brick pinioning, typical of the buildings of Picardy.

Annual events

Conty is a horse town. Carriage-driving championships are held here every year. In 2009, the heavy horse world championships will be held here.

References

External links

Club de football du Conty Loeuilly Sporting Club
{{authority control Communes of Somme (department) Picardy