Barfleur

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Commune of Barfleur
Location
Longitude	01° 15' 48" W
Latitude	49° 40' 16" N
Administration
Country	France
Région	Basse-Normandie
Département	Manche
Arrondissement	Cherbourg-Octeville
Canton	Quettehou
Intercommunality	Communauté de Communes du Val de Saire
Mayor	Jacques Houyvet (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	m–m (avg. 4 m)
Land area¹	0.6 km²
Population² (1999)	642
- Density (1999)	1,070/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	50030/ 50760
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Barfleur is a small picturesque fishing-port and commune in north-western France, in the Manche département in the Basse-Normandie région.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Middle Ages 1.2 Later 2 Trivia 3 External links and references

[edit] History

[edit] Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England.

• 1066 - A large medallion fixed to a rock in the harbour marks the disembarkation of the Normans from Barfleur prior to the Battle of Hastings.
• 1120 - The White Ship, carrying Prince William, only son of Henry I of England, went down outside the harbour.
• 1194 - Richard I of England departed from Barfleur on return to England following his captivity by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor.

[edit] Later

• 1692 - Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue

[edit] Trivia

About 2 miles to the north is Cape Barfleur, with a lighthouse 233 ft. high.

A Brittany Ferries vessel is named after the village and operates from nearby Cherbourg-Octeville to Poole in the United Kingdom.

[edit] External links and references

• Barfleur official website (in French)
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• ['http://mynormandy.home.att.net/postcard-barfleur.html ' 'Postcard from Barfleur']