Rely, Pas-de-Calais

Rely
Rely
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Rely
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Béthune
Canton	Norrent-Fontes
Intercommunality	Artois Flandres
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Jean-Marie Macke
Area1	4.83 km2 (1.86 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	416
• Density	86/km2 (220/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62701 / 62120
Elevation	55–103 m (180–338 ft) (avg. 98 m or 322 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Rely is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

Rely is situated some 12 miles (19.3 km) west of Béthune and 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D341 (an old Roman road, the Chaussee Brunehaut) and the D90 road. The A26 autoroute passes by the commune.

History

The village of Rely existed during the Gallo-Roman period and was located on a Roman road, the ‘’Chausée (carriageway) Brunehaut’’, that connected Thérouanne, Arras and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Many villages on or near this Brunehaut road have the same origins, such as Blessy, Estrée-Blanche, Ligny, Auchy-au-Bois and Ferfay. Originally small Roman stations where troops or convoys came to rest and eat on their travels between Rome, Arras, Thérouanne and Boulogne, these stations then developed and became the villages of today.
The castle, built on a hill surrounded by a wide and deep moat served as a refuge against the successive invasions and plundering of the Normans, Flemish and Spanish armies. Rely has followed the fate of the volatile Artois region over the centuries:

• In 863 it was part of Flanders.
• In 1180 it became French territory.
• In 1226 it was given to Robert I of Artois, son Louis VIII.
• In 1384 it belonged to Charles the Bold of Burgundy.
• In 1493 it passed to the House of Habsburg.
• In 1640 Artois was reconquered by France, however only a portion of it was returned to France, the other part, which included Rely, stayed in Flanders.
• In 1679, all of the region of Artois was finally ceded to France.

Population

Population history

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
313	378	360	351	348	371	416
Census count starting from 1962: Population without duplicates

Places of interest

• The church of St.Martin, dating from the sixteenth century.
• The motte and moat of a feudal castle.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Rely on the Quid website (French)