Goderville

Goderville (French pronunciation: [ɡɔdɛʁvil]) is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.

Goderville
Commune
The old chateau in Goderville
Coat of arms
Location of Goderville
Goderville Goderville
Coordinates: 49°38′49″N 0°21′59″E
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Seine-Maritime
Arrondissement	Le Havre
Canton	Saint-Romain-de-Colbosc
Intercommunality	CC Campagne de Caux
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Frédéric Carliere
Area 1	7.98 km2 (3.08 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	2,839
• Density	360/km2 (920/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	76302 /76110
Elevation	97–134 m (318–440 ft) (avg. 124 m or 407 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

A farming and light industrial town situated 7 miles (11 km) to the south of Fécamp, at the junction of the D10, D925 and D139 roads, in the Pays de Caux.

History

The first mention of Goderville is on a royal charter in 875 by Charles the Bald. Charles was said to have the most bald head in all of the land. It dealt with the value and number of properties belonging to the chapter of Rouen. The town got its name from the family of Godard of Vaulx, first unknown lord of the manor. In 1492, they allied themselves by marriage to the Roussel family. In March 1651, Goderville was elevated to a baronetcy by letter patent.

Until the French Revolution, the town was governed as a ‘sergenterie’. The market, notable for linen, has existed since the 16th century. Goderville absorbed the commune of Crétot in 1825.

Heraldry

Arms of Goderville

The arms of Goderville are blazoned : Paly Or and azure, on a chief gules, 3 martlets argent.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,499	—
1975	1,632	+1.22%
1982	1,885	+2.08%
1990	2,044	+1.02%
1999	2,281	+1.23%
2007	2,814	+2.66%
2012	2,824	+0.07%
2017	2,851	+0.19%
Source: INSEE

Places of interest

• A fifteenth-century fortified house.
• A feudal moated motte.
• The sixteenth-century Veslière farmhouse, built on an ancient priory.
• The sixteenth-century farmhouse at the hamlet of Maudit.
• The church of Sainte-Madeleine, constructed in 1865.

Notable people

• Guy de Maupassant based "La Ficelle" in Goderville.
• Antoine Vincent Arnault (1766–1834), politician, poet and author, member of the Académie française, died in Goderville.
• Émile Bénard (1844–1929), architect and painter, was born in Goderville.
• Jean Prévost (1901–1944), Goderville was the family home of the writer and member of the Maquis, who went by the pseudonym ‘Captain Goderville’.

See also

• Communes of the Seine-Maritime department