2

The three cases studied share a peculiarity rare otherwise in Normandy: they are known through charters of franchise. These charteres were granted as an outgrowth of a movement of improvement in a neighbouring area of Picardie. They show a mix of influences from Normandy and Picardie, as well as the traditions and economic evolution of the institutions which launched these ventures. While the privileges granted the men of Criquiers in 1305 were less generous than those conceded to Villedieu or Gourchelles over a century earlier, all three documents reveal rural communities of unquestionable vitality.