ROUEN
ITS HISTORY AND MONUMENTS;

A
GUIDE TO STRANGERS

BY THÉOD. LICQUET,

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ROUEN, ETC.

With a Map of the Town and Five Views.

ABRIDGED, AND TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCHBY M.D.G.

ROUEN:
EDWARD FRÈRE, QUAI DE PARIS,
Near the suspension Bridge.
MDCCCXL.

Price: 2 Francs.

IN THE PRESS:

Histoire du Parlemant de Normandie, précédée d'un Essai historique surl'échiquier; par A. Floquet. 6 vols. 8vo. Price, 36 fr.

Chronique des Abbés de Saint-Ouen, publiée d'après un MS. de laBibliothèque du Roi, par Francisque Michel, 4to, with a view of theabbey. Price, 10 fr.

Printed by I.-S. LEFEVRE, successor to F. BAUDRY, 20, rue des Carmes,Rouen.

[Pg 1]

Rouen.

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.

Cæsar, in his Commentaries does not speak of Rouen; Pomponius Mela, doesnot mention it in his Geography; Ptolemy is the first author who hasnoticed it. This observation alone will shew the absurdity of thenumerous etymologies assigned to its name of Rothomagus, of which wehave made Rouen. The least unlikely are those which have been taken fromthe primitive language of the country; but, even then we can only formconjectures more or less[Pg 2] vague, as, in deriving Rothomagus from twoceltic words, some have considered that this name signifies a greattown; others, a town on the bank of a river; while others again a townwhere duties were paid.

Ptolemy then gives us a commencement to the history of Rouen. In hislifetime, that is to say, during the first part of the second-century,Rouen bore the name of Rothomagus; it was the capital of the country ofthe Velocasses.

If Rouen, as a town of Gaul, is little known to us, Rouen as a Romantown is more so. Its existence is no longer doubtful; its importanceeven is proved. All suppositions join to make one think that the Romanswere the first who erected external fortifications round the town.Remains of walls evidently built by that people, were discovered in 1789in the cellars of a house which had been built on the edge of the firstditch...