Asnelles

Asnelles

View of the beach

Coat of arms
Asnelles

Coordinates: 49°20′18″N 0°34′58″W / 49.3383°N 0.5828°W / 49.3383; -0.5828Coordinates: 49°20′18″N 0°34′58″W / 49.3383°N 0.5828°W / 49.3383; -0.5828
Country France
Region Normandy
Department Calvados
Arrondissement Bayeux
Canton Ryes
Intercommunality Bessin, Seulles et Mer
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2020) Alain Scribe
Area1 2.52 km2 (0.97 sq mi)
Population (2010)2 579
 • Density 230/km2 (600/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 14022 / 14960
Elevation 1–21 m (3.3–68.9 ft)
(avg. 6 m or 20 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Asnelles is a French commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region of north-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Asnellois or Asnelloises.[1]

Geography

Asnelles is located at the seaside some 13 km north-east of Bayeux and 10 west of Courseulles-sur-Mer. Access to the commune is by the D514 road from Saint-Côme-de-Fresné in the west passing through the town and continuing to Ver-sur-Mer in the east. The D65 road from Arromanches to Meuvaines passes through the south of the commune. The D65A links the D514 to the D65. A large part of the commune is residential with the sea shore fully urban but some 50% of the commune is farmland.[2]

The Gronde river passes through the heart of the commune from south to north emptying into the English Channel.[2]

Neighbouring communes and villages[2]

 English Channel English Channel English Channel
Saint-Côme-de-Fresné Ver-sur-Mer
   Asnelles  
Ryes Bazenville Meuvaines

History

Tradition says that William the Conqueror, to escape his pursuers and after having taken refuge at the house of Baron Hubert de Ryes, regained his ducal castle by following small sunken pathways including one that now bears the name of Sente au Bâtard (Sente the Bastard). This footpath is difficult in places and it crosses the Gronde, bypassing part of the village, and leads to old farmhouses and old stone houses at Creully.

The name Asnelles (from the Latin asinellas meaning "little donkeys") appears for the first time in an official document at the end of the 12th century when work began on the early church dedicated to St. Martin. At that time a market for donkeys stood in the field opposite the church near the public square "planître". The coastline was then a large swamp which often caused fevers: people would implore the protection of Saint Honorine in a small chapel built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman Villa which would be located near the modern cemetery.

Until the end of the 17th century there was a small harbour at the mouth of the Gronde called Port Heurtault which had nearly 2,000 boat movements per year of boats involved in coastal shipping or Cabotage. The port was silted up by a storm, so that the Amirauté Court or Maritime Court, which was created in 1554 at Asnelles, was transferred to Bayeux. During the 18th century, Asnelles was the seat of a Captainerie (Official residence of the officer of the port) and a coastal militia was responsible for monitoring the sea and reporting the approach of any English ship.

In the middle of the 19th century the village underwent major changes. Under the leadership of the Mayor, Dr. Théodore Labbey, significant work was undertaken including: the draining of marshes, the construction of a Levee, and many large houses - some of which remain today. Asnelles becomes Asnelles-la-Belle-Plage, a name given by many swimmers at the beach which took the appearance of a "small Trouville", according to the newspapers of the time, with its casino and its up-market hotels. The beach resort was served by the Chemins de Fer du Calvados (Railways of Calvados) from 1899 to 1932. The construction of a Preventorium for children with tuberculosis who had a parent working at the SNCF was imposed on the commune in 1926. Until the eve of the Second World War it accommodated more than 1,500 boys and girls.

On 6 June 1944 British soldiers landed at Asnelles: the 231st Infantry Brigade was commanded by General Sir Alexander Stanier. The Dorset Regiment, which made landfall at 7:25am, was the first British regiment to set foot in Normandy. They were followed by the Devonshire and Hampshire regiments, as well as the 47th Commando of Royal Marines. The village was liberated in the afternoon with heavy losses mainly due to a 77 mm cannon which covered all the beach on the eastern side. On the 10 June the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) "ALG B-1" was operational at Asnelles-sur-Mer off Gold Beach, the first Allied airfield on the continent, operating Supermarine Spitfires.

Immediately after the landing the construction of the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches began of which the eastern part was at Asnelles consisting of the Phoenix caissons which enclosed the port on the eastern side starting from the commune beach.

The spokesman of General de Gaulle, who was one of the "Voices of France", Maurice Schumann also landed at Asnelles. He now is buried in the nearby cemetery of Calvary. The village recovered slowly from the D-Day operations: many large houses were severely damaged or destroyed: the Levee and the holds suffered greatly and many roads had to be rebuilt. There were however no civilian casualties reported.

Today, economic activity in Asnelles is mainly tourism with many second homes, camping, a leisure park, cottages, and family homes.

Heraldry

 Blazon:

Azure, a bark of Gules issuant from dexter, sailed in Argent and sailing on a rough Ocean in base, at sinister chief a mullet of Or radiant towards base.[3]

Administration

The Town Hall

List of Successive Mayors[4]

From To Name Party Position
2001 Emmanuel Deneffle
2001 2001 Jean-Pierre Malo Chemical Engineer
2001 2020 Alain Scribe[5] Retired marketing consultant

(Not all data is known)

The municipal council is composed of 15 members with 4 deputy mayors.

Twinning

Asnelles has twinning associations with:[6]

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 579 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]

Population Change (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
407 35 400 408 423 426 450 448 416
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
410 394 407 414 438 375 361 354 375
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
407 365 329 287 243 337 471 323 334
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2010 -
303 267 284 334 478 571 589 579 -

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Economy

Asnelles is a beach resort located on the Côte de Nacre. It has a beautiful sandy beach which is adjacent to the Arromanches beach. It also has a land sailing club. Asnelle is located on the Circuit of the landing beaches in Normandy. The commune has created a hiking trail called La Sente au Bâtard in honour of William the Conqueror.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

Asnelles has many buildings and structures that are classified as historical monuments as well as other points of interest that are not registered. They are:

Religious heritage

A number of religious buildings and structures have been registered as historical monuments. These are:

The Church of Saint Martin contains many items which are registered as historical objects. These are:

  • A Chasuble (ornamented in gold) (19th century)[33]
  • 2 Copes (ornamented in rose) (19th century)[34]
  • A Cope (ornamented in rose) (19th century)[35]
  • A Cope (ornamented in violet) (19th century)[36]
  • 2 Candlesticks (torches) (18th & 19th centuries)[37]
  • 2 Candelabra (19th century)[38]
  • A Candlestick (torch) (19th century)[39]
  • A Ciborium for the sick (19th & 20th centuries)[40]
  • 2 Ciboriums (19th & 20th centuries)[41]
  • A Ciborium (19th century)[42]
  • A Paten (19th century)[43]
  • 4 Altar Candlesticks (19th century)[44]
  • 3 Chalices with patens (19th century)[45]
  • A Chalice with paten (19th century)[46]
  • A Chalice with paten (19th century)[47]
  • A Chalice (19th century)[48]
  • A Statue: Saint Pierre (19th century)[49]
  • A Statue: Notre-Dame des flots (17th century)[50]
  • 2 Altars, Retables, and Tabernacles (Secondary Altars) (19th century)[51]
  • A Painting: Annunciation (18th century)[52]
  • A Retable (18th century)[53]
  • The Main Altar with Retable (17th & 19th centuries)[54]
  • A Stained glass window (20th century)[55]
  • A Stained glass window: Notre-Dame des flots (1931)[56]
  • A Hagiographic Stained glass window: Charity of Saint Martin (19th century)[57]
  • A Figurative Stained glass window: Bon Pasteur (19th century)[58]
  • 7 Allegorical Stained glass windows (20th century)[59]
  • The Furniture in the Church of Saint-Martin[60]

Events

The Festival of the Sea takes place on 15 August every two years in odd years.

Notable people linked to the commune

Bibliography

See also

External links

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

  1. ↑ Inhabitants of Calvados (French)
  2. 1 2 3 Google Maps
  3. ↑ GASO, Blazon Bank - Asnelles Calvados, consulted on 20 September 2011 (French) Referenced blazon is incorrect - a dextre should say a sinistre
  4. ↑ List of Mayors of France (French)
  5. ↑ Asnelles Elections 2014 (French)
  6. ↑ National Commission for Decentralised cooperation (French)
  7. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121759 Farmhouse (French)
  8. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121744 Lavoir (French)
  9. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121746 Chateau (French)
  10. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121748 Maison le Mesnil (French)
  11. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121750 House (French)
  12. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121760 Farmhouse (French)
  13. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121749 Abri Sainte-Thérèse House (French)
  14. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121751 House (French)
  15. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121752 Villa Cossom (French)
  16. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121753 Villa Neptune (French)
  17. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121754 Villa les Tamaris (French)
  18. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121755 Villa Carrée (French)
  19. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121762 Stone bridge (French)
  20. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121756 House (French)
  21. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121743 Fire Station (French)
  22. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121757 Commerce House (French)
  23. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121745 Château d'Asnelles (French)
  24. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121758 House (French)
  25. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111837 Beach defence battery (French)
  26. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121761 Tithe Barn (French)
  27. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121742 Town Hall, Post Office, and Primary School (French)
  28. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121739 Village (French)
  29. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121738 Houses and Hotels (French)
  30. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121747 Presbytery (French)
  31. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121741 Monumental Cross (French)
  32. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00121740 Church of Saint-Martin (French)
  33. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001178 Chasuble (French)
  34. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001177 2 Copes (Red) (French)
  35. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001176 2 Copes (Red) (French)
  36. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001175 Cope (Violet) (French)
  37. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001174 2 Candlesticks (French)
  38. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001173 2 Candelabra (French)
  39. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001172 Candlestick (French)
  40. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001171 Ciborium for the sick (French)
  41. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001170 2 Ciboriums (French)
  42. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001169 Ciborium (French)
  43. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001168 Paten (French)
  44. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001167 4 Altar Candlesticks (French)
  45. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001166 3 Chalices with patens (French)
  46. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001165 Chalice with paten (French)
  47. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001164 Chalice with paten (French)
  48. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001163 Chalice (French)
  49. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001162 Statue: Saint Pierre (French)
  50. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001161 Statue: Notre-Dame des flots (French)
  51. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001160 2 Altars, Retables, and Tabernacles (French)
  52. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001159 Painting: Annunciation (French)
  53. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001158 Retable (French)
  54. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001157 Main Altar with Retable (French)
  55. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001156 Stained glass window (French)
  56. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001155 Stained glass window: Notre-Dame des flots (French)
  57. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001154 Stained glass window: Charity of St. Martin (French)
  58. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001153 Stained glass window: Bon Pasteur (French)
  59. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001152 7 Stained glass windows (French)
  60. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM14001151 Furniture in the Church of St. Martin (French)
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