Morsan
Encyclopedia
Morsan is a commune
in the Eure
department in Haute-Normandie
in northern France
.
The inhabitants are called Morsanais.
until Jean de Morsent 1276 affirmed that he needed his wealth for his followers in times of war.
Chevalier Philémon Lesens (also Le Sens), was the first baron of Morsan. He was nobleman of the Maison du Roi
of King Henry IV of France
and governor of Bernay
. He built a hunting lodge. At the time of Abdon-Thomas-François Lesens (1724–1800), who had been page
of Louis XV of France
before he became marquis of Morsan, Ange-Jacques Gabriel
(1698–1782) redesigned the facade. The hunting lodge is privately owned nowadays.
Morsan got municipal administration in 1789.
In 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War
Morsan was garrisoned by the Prussian army. In 1940, during World War II
it was garrisoned by the German army.
There are no streetnames in Morsan, the village is divided in districts. The old districts of Morsan were: le Château, la Couranterie, les Jumeaux, la Mourioterie, la Mondière. The center of the village is called Bourg instead of la Mondière today.
Morsan is one of the communes in Eure under the risk of sudden forming of denehole
s. In former times the peasants have exploited the marl
underground to fertilize the fields. During heavy rain those ancient excavations can open again. These special deneholes are round holes of 1,5–2 meters diameter and several meters deep. There are around 16000 of those holes in the département Eure.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Eure
Eure
Eure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department in Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The inhabitants are called Morsanais.
History
In medieval times Morsan was also written Morçan, Morsent or Morseng. It belonged to the Bec AbbeyBec Abbey
Bec Abbey in Le Bec Hellouin, Normandy, France, once the most influential abbey in the Anglo-Norman kingdom of the twelfth century, is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure département, in the Bec valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Bernay.Like all abbeys, Bec maintained annals...
until Jean de Morsent 1276 affirmed that he needed his wealth for his followers in times of war.
Chevalier Philémon Lesens (also Le Sens), was the first baron of Morsan. He was nobleman of the Maison du Roi
Maison du Roi
The Maison du Roi was the name of the military, domestic and religious entourage around the royal family in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration; the exact composition and duties of its various divisions changed constantly over the Early Modern period...
of King Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
and governor of Bernay
Bernay
- Communes :*Bernay, Eure, in the Eure département*Bernay-en-Champagne, in the Sarthe département*Bernay-en-Ponthieu, in the Somme département*Bernay-Saint-Martin, in the Charente-Maritime département...
. He built a hunting lodge. At the time of Abdon-Thomas-François Lesens (1724–1800), who had been page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
of Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
before he became marquis of Morsan, Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel was the most prominent French architect of his generation.Born to a Parisian family of architects and initially trained by the royal architect Robert de Cotte and his father , whom he assisted in the creation of the Place Royale at Bordeaux , the younger Gabriel...
(1698–1782) redesigned the facade. The hunting lodge is privately owned nowadays.
Morsan got municipal administration in 1789.
In 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
Morsan was garrisoned by the Prussian army. In 1940, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was garrisoned by the German army.
There are no streetnames in Morsan, the village is divided in districts. The old districts of Morsan were: le Château, la Couranterie, les Jumeaux, la Mourioterie, la Mondière. The center of the village is called Bourg instead of la Mondière today.
Morsan is one of the communes in Eure under the risk of sudden forming of denehole
Denehole
A Denehole is an underground structure consisting of a number of small chalk caves entered by a vertical shaft. The name is given to certain caves or excavations in England, which have been popularly supposed to be due to the Danes or some other of the early northern invaders of the country...
s. In former times the peasants have exploited the marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
underground to fertilize the fields. During heavy rain those ancient excavations can open again. These special deneholes are round holes of 1,5–2 meters diameter and several meters deep. There are around 16000 of those holes in the département Eure.