Brimeux

Brimeux
Commune
The church of Brimeux
Coat of arms
Brimeux Location within Hauts-de-France region Brimeux
Coordinates: 50°26′43″N 1°50′06″E / 50.4453°N 1.835°E / 50.4453; 1.835Coordinates: 50°26′43″N 1°50′06″E / 50.4453°N 1.835°E / 50.4453; 1.835
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Montreuil
Canton	Auxi-le-Château
Intercommunality	CC Sept Vallées
Government
• Mayor	Régis Picque
Area1	10.68 km2 (4.12 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	762
• Density	71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62177 /62170
Elevation	6–84 m (20–276 ft) (avg. 10 m or 33 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.

Brimeux is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.

Geography

Brimeux is a village situated some 4 miles (7 km) southeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D149 road, in the valley of the river Canche.

History

The village name first appears in 1042 in a royal charter and was then written Brivermacum, a Latin name from the Celtic for bridge. Over the years, it has had different spellings such as Brivamagus, Brivomagus, Brimeaus (in 1153), Brimodio and Brimodium (in 1154), Brimaus in 1226, Brimeul in 1415, Brimeu by 1499, and finally Brimeux, in 1704.

When peat was extracted at Brimeux, a 5 metre long wooden deck, a tin dish and flakes of flint were discovered, indicating that Brimeux had been inhabited before the arrival of the Romans.

Various objects of the Gallo-Roman era were unearthed during the construction of the railway station: coins; weights and the remains of a villa.

The area was ransacked by the invading Normans in 842.

There are traces of the motte of the feudal castle owned by the House of Brimeu, seigneurs of the village.

Sights

• The church.

Built between 1495 and 1524 by the seigneur, Hugh de Melun, in flamboyant Gothic style. The nave was restored in 1860 by the architect Norman Clovis who gave it the character that we see today. The bell tower once housed 3 bells but now only has the one, the others having been confiscated in 1793

• The war memorial erected in 1920.

Population

The inhabitants are called Brimeusois.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brimeux.

• Brimeux on the Quid website (in French)
• Cyclo Club Brimeux, cycling club of Brimeux