Argouges

Argouges (French pronunciation: [aʁɡuʒ]) is a former commune in the Manche department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Saint-James.

Argouges
Part of Saint-James
The town hall
Location of Argouges
Argouges Argouges
Coordinates: 48°30′12″N 1°23′42″W
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Manche
Arrondissement	Avranches
Canton	Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët
Commune	Saint-James
Area 1	16.41 km2 (6.34 sq mi)
Population  (2019)	502
• Density	31/km2 (79/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	50240
Elevation	25–133 m (82–436 ft) (avg. 38 m or 125 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

For many centuries the Barons de Gratot (Argouges) resided at the Château de Gratot in Argouges. Similar to the Château de Gratot is the Château de Argouges in Vaux-sur-Aure, in the French department of Calvados, Normandy which had also been owned by the Barons de Gratot (Argouges). According to the French Wikipedia a legend is that a Lord of Argouges met a Fairy woman who agreed to be his wife provided he never spoke the word "Mort" [death] which was considered profane language; however he spoke it and the Fairy vanished; this legend is associated with both Château de Gratot and the Château de Argouges.

• 
  Coat of arms of the Barons de Gratot (Argouges)
• 
  François d'Argouges, [1622-1695] premier président Parlement de Bretange
• 
  Château de Argouges in Vaux-sur-Aure.
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  View of the ruins of the Château de Gratot at the left
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  A view of the Main entrance of the Château de Gratot
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  A rear view of the Main entrance of the Château de Gratot
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  An overview rear view of Main entrance of the Château de Gratot
• 
  A rear view of Tower XIII of the Château de Gratot
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  Tower XIII of the Château de Gratot
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  From left to right: The 18th Pavilion, the Round Tower, the Maison Seigneuriale, the Fairy Tower
• 
  Rear View of the North facade of the Château de Gratot [The 18th Pavilion at the right]
• 
  Rear View of the North facade of the Château de Gratot

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1793 1,329 —     1800 1,145 −13.8% 1806 1,272 +11.1% 1821 1,316 +3.5% 1831 1,542 +17.2% 1836 1,464 −5.1% 1841 1,576 +7.7% 1846 1,512 −4.1% 1851 1,450 −4.1% 1856 1,440 −0.7% 1861 1,390 −3.5% 1866 1,302 −6.3% 1872 1,294 −0.6% 1876 1,272 −1.7% 1881 1,179 −7.3% 1886 1,152 −2.3% 1891 1,212 +5.2%

Year Pop. ±% 1896 1,164 −4.0% 1901 1,107 −4.9% 1906 1,107 +0.0% 1911 1,058 −4.4% 1921 1,004 −5.1% 1926 991 −1.3% 1931 952 −3.9% 1936 925 −2.8% 1946 890 −3.8% 1954 842 −5.4% 1962 819 −2.7% 1968 787 −3.9% 1975 718 −8.8% 1982 621 −13.5% 1990 599 −3.5% 1999 540 −9.8% 2009 551 +2.0%

Notable people

• Marie-Louise Bouglé (1883-1936), feminist, librarian, and archivist

See also

• Communes of the Manche department