The exhibition held in Gatteville’s former town hall, Place Notre-Dame, from 23 to 28 May 2024 gave over 300 visitors a glimpse into life in Gatteville in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

All the influential figures of the time were brought to life over the course of these few days. The prior, Jean François Lecouturier de Saint-James, was reconciled, we hope, with Baron Guillaume Séraphin Hook l’Etang de Gatteville and Count Marie Bonaventure Jallot de Beaumont to put an end to the lawsuits that had pitted them against each other for over 60 years.

André François Le Fèvre, mayor of Gatteville, no doubt continued to argue with Clément François Cabart, doctor and mayor of Saint-Pierre-Eglise, about the origin of the exceptional mortality rate recorded in Gatteville between 1826 and 1828.

During this week, fields of flax and hemp sprang up all around Gatteville and the Gattemare pond left its status of ecological treasure chest for a moment to rediscover the stench caused by the retting of large quantities of these plants.

But the fury of the Revolution and the legal battles subsided with the end of the exhibition. Gatteville has regained all the characteristics that make it so attractive in the 21st century.

Thank you to our visitors for their interest and the fascinating discussions they generated.

Thank you to our members for their efficient and friendly management of the exhibition.