The former parsonage turned shop

Sold in 1827, the former parsonage located on what is now Rue Placide Alexandre, opposite Raimbourg Farm, was converted into a grocery-café.

This parsonage replaced an earlier building that had fallen into disrepair. The final inspection of the works took place in 1786. In Placide Alexandre’s notes, we find:

“29 October 1786: Visit and final inspection of the works on the new parsonage. Duhamel is discharged from the works of the said undertaking, but is obliged to rebuild a cellar 13 feet long by 17 wide which was built at the end of the old parsonage, as said Duhamel had helped himself to the materials without right or consent.”

However, this new parsonage was not to be used for very long. The Revolution soon arrived, and Placide Alexandre’s notes continue:

“Alienation of the parsonage: Abbot J.B. Benoist Le Roux, who succeeded Jacques Laurent Boutelet in 1784, was the sole occupant of the new parsonage throughout the Revolution. The parsonage was indeed sold as national property by the administration of the Seine-Inférieure department on 21 Fructidor Year VI, registered on the 26th of the same month. It was acquired by Monsieur Chandelier.”

Then, in 1827, the parsonage passed from the Chandelier family to the Daury family, who turned it into a grocery-café—a move that seemed to cause some trouble:

“The manor-parsonage then became a commercial grocery-café. The Parish Council complained of the commotion from the tavern, which disturbed the solemnity of the church, and the incivility of customers who came to relieve themselves in the churchyard.” (Placide Alexandre’s notes).

After the Second World War, the establishment was converted into a butcher's shop and renovations were undertaken. To serve the population during the refit, the butcher sold his meat from a small structure known as "La Guitoune" near the town hall. Several professionals followed, and in 1979, Mr and Mrs Lefebvre acquired the business. Bernard Lefebvre did rounds in the surrounding villages, while his wife, Catherine, served in the shop. The couple retired in 2013, and the business was not taken over.