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Dieppe

Channel port and holiday resort at the mouth of the River Arques in Seine-Maritime département, northern France, 53 km/33 mi north of Rouen; population (1999) 34,600. It is a trading centre for fish and fruit; industries include fishing, shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, and light manufacturing. There are ferry services from its harbour to Newhaven in England.

History

Dieppe was occupied by the English from 1420 to 1435 during the Hundred Years' War, but by the 16th century Dieppe was the principal port of the kingdom of France. In the French Wars of Religion it was a Huguenot stronghold, and its prosperity declined after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The English and Dutch bombardments of 1694 destroyed much of the medieval town, although the rebuilding retained the medieval streetplan. Dieppe was considerably damaged in World War II, and was the target of the disastrous Dieppe Raid in August 1942: Over 6,000 Allied troops, mainly Canadian, took part in the raid, but they were unable to dislodge the Germans from their well-defended positions and were soon forced to withdraw, with heavy losses.

Features

The church of St Jacques dates from the 14th century. The castle (1435) was built on the site of a Roman fort. It houses a museum containing a collection of carved ivories, a successful cottage industry in Dieppe that depended on the port for its raw materials. The Château de Miromesnil, the official birthplace of writer Guy de Maupassant, lies 8 km/5 mi outside the town.

Atlantic Wall Caus, Solomon de

Caux Churchill tank

Dieppe (New Brunswick) Dieppe Raid

English Channel Hope, Anthony

Sickert, Walter Richard