Verneuil-en-Halatte

Verneuil-en-Halatte (French pronunciation: [vɛʁnœj ɑ̃.n‿alat], literally Verneuil in Halatte) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The organist and composer Joseph Boulnois (1884–1918) was born in Verneuil-en-Halatte.

Verneuil-en-Halatte
Commune
The church in Verneuil-en-Halatte
Coat of arms
Location of Verneuil-en-Halatte
Verneuil-en-Halatte Show map of France Verneuil-en-Halatte Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 49°16′38″N 2°31′23″E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Oise
Arrondissement	Senlis
Canton	Creil
Intercommunality	CC Pays d'Oise et d'Halatte
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Philippe Kellner[1]
Area 1	22.26 km2 (8.59 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	4,734
• Density	210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	60670 /60550
Elevation	25–108 m (82–354 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

The unrecognisable facade of the castle today

Verneuil was originally a Seigneury. Philippe IV de Boulainvilliers, Seigneur of Verneuil, started the construction of a castle in 1558, but fell short of funds and ended up selling the unfinished castle to Jacques, Duke of Nemours in 1575. He continued the construction but work stopped again after his death in 1585. The castle was finally sold to king Henry IV in 1599, who offered it to his mistress Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues, raising the grounds to a marquisate and thus making her the Marquise de Verneuil en Beauvoisis.^[3]

Upon the death of the Marquise (1633), the castle came into the hands of her son, Henri, Duke of Verneuil. The grounds were raised again to a duchy-peerage by king Louis XIV of France in 1652, granting Henri the title of Duke of Verneuil. He kept the castle until his death in 1682, after it was passed on to his widow, Charlotte Séguier. Upon her death, it was sold to Henri Jules, Prince of Condé. His successor, Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, no longer made use of the castle, causing it to fall into decay. Maintenance to the grounds was finally stopped in 1724 and the pillaging of the castle started around 1734, with stone being recovered for improving the Château de Chantilly.^[4]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	2,587	—
1975	2,560	−0.15%
1982	3,463	+4.41%
1990	3,614	+0.53%
1999	4,037	+1.24%
2007	4,398	+1.08%
2012	4,676	+1.23%
2017	4,650	−0.11%
Source: INSEE[5]

See also

• Communes of the Oise department
• Henri, Duke of Verneuil

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. Vaissète, Jean-Joseph (1755). Géographie historique, ecclésiastique et civile, Tome Second (in French). p. 429. Verneuil, a quarter league to the left of the Oise between Creil & Pont Ste. Maxence, raised to marquisate in 1600 to the benefit of Henriette de Balzac, & to duchy-peerage in 1652 to the benefit of Henri her legitimated son of de Bourbon & the king Henri IV died in 1682
4. "Les vestiges du Château Royal Henri IV". Verneuil-en-Halatte (official site) (in French).
5. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE