SIEUR DE VINCENNES IDENTIFIED

PONT-AUDEMER, PlACE OF THE OrIGIN, In FrANCE^ OF THE BiSSOTS OF ViNCENNES.

The town of Pont-Audemer is today the chief place of the district of the department of l'Eure. Its population is a little more than six thousand soûls. The actual town of Pont-Audemer is situated on ^he site of an ancient military post on the Roman road from Lillebonne to Lisieux.

After the Norman conquest, Pont-Audemer formed the endowment of an important Norman family. One of the lords of the town, Onfroi, built the walls and the castle. In 1122 the town was burned by Henry I of England, and the castle suffered a siège of seven weeks. In 1203 the seigniory of Pont-Audemer was confiscated by Richard the Lion-hearted. Then it was attached to the duchy of Normandy by John Lackland. The next year Pont-Audemer submitted to Philip Augustus, who established and extended its communal liberties. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries many provincial councils were held at Pont-Audemer, notably in 1244, 1257, 1259, 1260, 1265, 1267, 1269, 1279, 1286, 1291, 1305, 13321. In the fourteenth century likewise many of the Norman States held their councils at Pont-Audemer.

On the second of February, 1353, John the Good, among other domains abandoned the viscounty of Pont-Audemer to the king of Navarre, Charles the Bad. This town was then by many seiges disputed between the troops of Navarre and the royal armies. In 1378 Du Gi.'esclin and admirai Jean de Vienne took possession of it and razed the walls and the castle. Charles the Third the Noble, son of Charles the Bad, re-

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nounced his rights over Pont-Audemer in considération of a sum of ready money. In 1418 Pont-Audemer fell into the power of the English. In the following year, Danois rcoccupied it in the name of the king of France. During the religions wars the town was taken and retaken several tiines by the protestants and the catholics.

Pont-Audemer was in the middle âges an important port. It is said to hâve furnished sixty ships to the expédition of WilHam the Conqueror. Pont-Audemer is now no more than a little river port frequented annually by about five hundred ships of différent tonnage. Since the eleventh century the inhabitants of the town hâve been engaged successfully in the manufacture of fabrics and the préparation of leather. The making of paper was already flourishing in the fifteenth century. Thèse three industries hâve continued at Pont-Audemer until our time. François Bissot de la Rivière, who introduced tanneries so successfully in New France, had been then in a good school.

Pont-Audemer still possesses some beautifui monuments. Notably the church of Saint-Oeun, whose choir goes back to the eleventh century ; the church of Notre-Dame du Pré, where François Bissot de la Rivière was baptized, of which there remains a nave which is considered to go back to the twelfth century; the church of Saint-Germain la Campagne, which bas also a nave of the eleventh century.*

*This information about Pont-Audemer is taken from The History of the Town of Pont-Audemer, from the Dictionaire Historique du Department de L'Eure and from the Grande Encj-clopedie.

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