Argences


Argences is a French commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. It is in the urban area of Caen, 15 kilometres from the city.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Argençais or Argençaises
The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.

Geography

Argences is some 15 km south-east of Caen and 1 km north of Moult. Access to the commune is by the D37 road from Saint-Pair in the north passing through the commune and the town and continuing to Moult in the south. The D41 road goes east from the town to join the D613 to Caen at Vimont. The D80 road also goes north-east from the town to Saint-Pierre-du-Jonquet. Apart from the town there are also the hamlets of Le Fresne to the north, Le Mesnil in the north-east, and Le Croix de Moult south of the town. The commune consists of a large residential area in the town with a large forest in the north-east with small scattered forests but mostly farmland.
The Muane river flows through the town and the commune from south to north.

History

In 989 Richard I of Normandy donated land to the Abbey of Fécamp for the curates of Mondeville and Argences. From that date, the domain of Mondeville was managed as an ecclesiastical fief by the Barony of Argences. During the ducal era the wines of Argences were highly regarded.
In 1912, the large tile factory at Fresne built a railway line 4 km long connecting Argences to Moult-Argences Station in Moult on the Paris-Cherbourg line. The line from Argences was closed in 1931 and the nearest station is now Moult-Argences.
On 16 April 1942 a group of resistance fighters derailed a Maastricht-Cherbourg train two kilometres from Moult-Argences station in Airan commune causing 28 dead and 19 wounded - all German soldiers. On 30 April of that year, in revenge for German retaliation, a new derailment of the same train killed 10 German soldiers and wounded 22 others.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToNamePartyPosition
17901791Pierre Michel Gouget
17911792André Pierre Duval-Destin
17921794Robert Lesage
17941795Nicolas Guillaume Moulin
17951796Pierre Robert Caillouie
17961797Joseph Bornet
17971798Jean Mathieu Duport
17981799Joseph Bornet
17991799Nicolas Guillaume Moulin
17991800André Halbique
18001806Pierre Duval-Destin
18061808Pierre Robert Cailloue
18081812François Huillard
18121815Ferdinand Desessarts
18151826Nicolas Moulin
18261828Jean Baptiste Honore
18281830Jean Duport
18301840Modeste Ancelle
18401841Germain Lecharpertier
18411843Jean Doublet
18431859Modeste Ancelle
18591871Armand Laville
18711874Germain Lecharpertier
18741874Armand Laville
18741896Dominique Lecomte
18961908Joseph Dalgot
19081912Désiré Lepetit
19121921André Gourmez
19211929Clément Michel

;Mayors from 1929
FromToNamePartyPosition
19291945Jean Hamel
19451947Albert Frilley
19471953Jean Hamel
19531954René Maginier
19541965André Plantain
19651970Michel Jourdan
19701971Georges Lemesle
19711979Alfred Rouillard
19791989Gilbert Deru
19891995Jean-François Hamel
19952001Gilbert Deru
20012008Bernard DufourRetired ETF officer
2008CurrentDominique DelivetHeadmaster

Population

Economy

The newspaper L'Echo de la Muance was published in Argences from 1896 to 1897.

Sites and Monuments

Activities and events

The association of rural families organizes dance classes for children and adults.

Notable people linked to the commune