Lœuilly () is a former 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 ...

. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Ô-de-Selle.

Geography

Lœuilly is situated on the D8 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 ...

, on the banks of a tributary of the

Somme river The Somme ( , ; ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geologica ...

, the river

Selle Selle may refer to: *Selle (Scheldt tributary), the name of a river in Nord, France * Selle (Somme tributary), the name of a river in Picardy, France * Pic la Selle, a mountain in Haiti * La Selle-Guerchaise, a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine depar ...

, which splits here into streams and forms many lakes. The commune is subject to flooding and has measures in place to prevent it.Arrêté préfectoral du 26 septembre 2005 prescrivant un plan de prévention des risques naturels prévisibles d'inondations sur les communes de Lœuilly, Neuville-lès-Lœuilly,

Nampty Nampty is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Nampty is situated on the D8 road, on the banks of the river Selle, some south of Amiens. Population See also *Communes of the Somme department ...

, Fossemanant and Prouzel.

History

Lœuilly was inhabited during

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 ...

times. The first settlement was alongside the river near a drinking trough, fed by a spring, the Blaire fountain. The water, renowned for its digestive qualities, was sold to the public, before mains water was available.
In 1472, Burgundian troops led by

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

destroyed the château.
In 1593, the inhabitants tried in vain to stop the Catholic League coming into the village, which was partially burnt down. Many watermills, and later, factories powered by the water, sprang up along the river, to take advantage of the natural force. A mill pond once filled the area near where the Mairie and car-park are found today. The railway from

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 ...

ran through the town from 1876 to 1939. The old route is now a popular walk.

Places of interest

* The seventeenth-century church of Saint Martin. The clock on the bell-tower is unusually off-centre. * Several old watermills on the banks of the river