Argouges

Argouges
Part of Saint-James
The town hall
The town hall
Location of Argouges
Map
Argouges is located in France
Argouges
Argouges
Argouges is located in Normandy
Argouges
Argouges
Coordinates: 48°30′12″N 1°23′42″W / 48.5033°N 1.395°W / 48.5033; -1.395
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentManche
ArrondissementAvranches
CantonSaint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët
CommuneSaint-James
Area
1
16.41 km2 (6.34 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)[1]
502
 • Density31/km2 (79/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code
50240
Elevation25–133 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.

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.[2]

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. [3]

  1. ^ Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019, INSEE
  2. ^ Arrêté préfectoral 8 July 2016 (in French)
  3. ^ (A variation of this legend is found in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" (volume) V .pp.64-65. Ironically Ripley used a drawing of the Château_de Argouges for the Château_de_Gratot in Argouges!)