Turn of Order

The Turn of Order , or also Tour of Odre is a Roman headlight, modified with the Middle Ages, collapsed in 1644, which dominated the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

This disappeared monument is known only in old writings and drawings.

History of the headlights of Boulogne

The origin of the Roman headlight goes back to years 39 or 40, at the time of the project of unloading of Caligula in Brittany (Britannia). The tower is immediately built: one indicates it under the name of “Headlight or Turn of Caligula”. It fulfills its role until the fall of the Roman Empire and with the invasions of the end of Ve century. Given up during the time which followed, it was restored or rebuilt by Charlemagne towards 810. In 1544, the English make of it a fortress by the addition of a brick rampart defended by four turns or bastions of angles. July 29th, 1644, in the middle of the day, the tower collapses with cliff. Vestiges remain visible until 1930, or even until our days.

See also: the article Boulogne-sur-Mer (History), which distinguishes the two successive monuments well: the headlight ancient of Caligula, and the Tower of Order, still called " old Homme" , which would not be thus, strictly speaking, that the medieval monument.

There exists in Boulogne-sur-Mer a “street of the Tower of Odre”, near the site of the Tower, near to the current boulevard Holy-Beuve.

In the old city, whose plan is still that of the Roman Camp, is another tower, the Beffroi (11th century, registered in 2005 on the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO), with the paces of ancient headlight, on square basis with octagonal crowning, dominating the sea. This old keep of the castle comtal was used as turn of transmission, of the time of the Télégraphe Chappe.

Structure and dimensions

The sources and the iconography describe and show the headlight of Boulogne (Turn of Order or Turn of Odre) like a high building made up of twelve octagonal stages laid out in degrees and of a lantern suitable to emit fire. According to the sources, one belongs the supposed heights of 40 m to 65 Mr.

The twin headlight of Dover

Its British of Dover, known correspondent under the name of “Romance lighthouse” or “Pharos”, was built into 43, just after the Roman invasion: it is a 24 height m octagonal tower, which have today four more Roman levels and a medieval crowning. There is thus an idea of what was to be, at the origin, the Roman headlight of Boulogne, of the same form, of the same date and of the same invoice.

Iconography

A drawing of Joachim Duvient, gone back to 1611, watch an octagonal tower of Order to twelve degrees, with a lantern at the top. The headlight is at the top of cliff; the wearing of Boulogne east in the foreground, protected by built quays. A sailing ship, with the background, has its low parts masked by the waves. (Drawing of Joachim Duvient (1611))

An engraving of the XVIIe century shows the tower surrounded by ramparts, on cliff. One distinguishes eleven octagonal levels, of decreasing height and width, with a lantern. The rampart has square towers; three turns are distinguished. The turns and the walls are crenelated. (Drawing, with the fort of 1544)

Two engravings, in the style of the editions of the XIXe century, show:

one, a general sight of Boulogne-sur-Mer: one distinguishes in the foreground the city, with his churches and his fortifications; the headlight dominates the notch of the port. One sees the English coast at the horizon.
the other, a reconstitution of the tower with its twelve octagonal levels of decreasing width, the lantern in addition. (Engravings of the XIXe century)

Documents

Data of the Encyclopedia of Diderot

The Encyclopedia of Diderot and D' Alembert gives the information developed in two signed articles of the knight of Jaucourt and proposes an etymology generally retained by the commentators.

Alternatives of the name and possible etymology

Article Turn of order :

“Turn of order, (Littérat.) name that the headlight of Boulogne carries, & which Mr. de Valois returns by the words of turris ordinis ; however neither the word François order , nor Latin ordo , paroissent being the origin of a similar denomination. This headlight is very-old, & having been built to direct the course of the vessels which abordoient in Boulogne, city formerly famous for its trade; it was repaired by the care of Charlemagne. Its old name étoit Ordrans , as one learns it from the life of S. Folenin bishop of Terrouenne; but Ordrans paroît a light corruption of Ordans . Several believe with enough appearance, that turris Ordans étoit is made turris ardens , the burning tower , which convenoit perfectly with a turn where fire paroissoit every night. ”

The most current form today seems “Turn of Order”; but “Turn of Odre” is a quite alive name locally, perhaps even more exact. The question remains open.

History of the Tower of Order and comparison with the Roman headlight of Dover

Article Headlight (extracted concerning the Tower from Order):

“One of most famous the headlights than one connoisse, & who subsistoit still in 1643, it is that of Boulogne on sea, Bononia , which appelloit also formerly Gessoriacum . It seems that it is not necessary to doubt that it is not of this headlight about which Suétone in the life speaks about the emperor Caïus Caligula who made it 489 build. It is necessary all the more to believe that the history makes mention only headlight built on this coast, & that one there noticed forever of trace of any other.

This tower was high on the headland or the cliff which commandoit with the port of the city. It étoit octogonal; each side avoit, according to Bucherius, twenty-four or twenty-five magpies. Its circuit étoit thus of approximately two black and white taxable quotas, & its diameter of sixty six. It avoit twelve entablemens or species of galleries that one voyoit with - outside, by including/understanding that of in bottom there hidden by small extremely that Anglois swage built all - around when they were made main from there in 1545. Each entablature spared on the thickness of the wall of lower part, faisoit like a small gallery of a magpie & half; thus this headlight alloit always while decreasing, as we saw others headlights .

This headlight étoit called since several centuries turris ordans , or turris ordensis . Boulonnois appelloient it the turn of order . Several believe, with enough appearance, that turris ordans or ordensis étoit is made turris ardens , the burning tower, which convenoit perfectly with a tower where fire paroissoit every night.

As there is work made by the hand of the men which does not perish finally, either by the insult of the tems, or by some other accident, the tower & the fortress tomberent. Here how; this part of the Cliff or the rock which avançoit on the side of the sea, étoit like a rampart which mettoit the tower & the fortress with cover against the violence of the tides & the floods; but the habitans there having opened careers to sell stone in Hollandois & some close cities, all it in front of was at the end dismantled, & then the sea not finding more this barrier, venoit to break below the tower, & in détachoit always some parts; on another side, water which découloient of cliff, minoient the rock imperceptibly, & creusoient under the fondemens headlight & fortress, so that the year 1644, the 29 of July, the tower & the fortress tomberent in full midday. It is still a happiness which a boulonnois, more curious than its compatriots, us preserved the figure of this headlight ; it seroit to wish that it had been warned to inform us in the same way on its dimensions.

This headlight , built by the Romans, éclairoit the vessels which passoient of Great Britain in Gaules. It should not be doubted that it did not have of them there also one at the opposed coast, since it étoit also necessary to guide there those which passoient in the island. Several people croyent that the old woman tower who remains today in the middle of the castle of Douvre, étoit the headlight of the Romans: others think that this headlight étoit located where is the large heap of stones and Chaux which one sees near the castle of Douvre, & which people of the country call the drop of the devil .

the archbishop of Canterbury sent to the P. Montfaucon a plan of what it croyoit to be the headlight of Douvre . While excavating in a large heap of hovels, by the order of this archbishop, one found a headlight completely similar to that of Boulogne, without no difference, which makes judge that which is still today on magpie, was done only when the old one had been ruined. ”

The article of the Picturesque Store (1847)

According to the old review the Picturesque Store , edition of 1847, re-examined written under the direction of Edouard Charton since 1832. In this number, p. 332, Montfaucon are expressed thus about the headlight of Boulogne-sur-Mer, collapsed on July 29th, 1644. (Explained Antiquity, suppl. IV, p. 133)

the headlight of Boulogne-sur-Mer which was one of the most beautiful monuments of the Roman magnificence, was entirely destroyed twenty years ago; but it was happily a drawing made when the headlight still remained, which was communicated to me by the scientist P. Lequien, Dominican monk.

It was an octogonal building, its height without including/understanding the 6 feet of foundation there was of 124 feet in twelve stages which were all decreasing upwards. The first stage had 224 feet of circuit and each side 28 feet length. The circumference of the last stage was of 40 feet and the side of 5. There were a door with each angle and consequently 96 doors, not included/understood that of the lantern. The staircase by which one went up at the top was practiced in the external wall.

Every night one lit a fire there to guide the vessels which were in trimmings.

According to another manuscript more detailed, one reads:

This tower had twelve entablatures or galleries. Each entablature was only one species of reduction in the wall, which formed a species of pavement of a foot and half broad. By this means, the tower decreased per degrees like all the other headlights, until its top which was overcome by an arcade with which the full one was square and was used as hearth. It was built varied stones and bricks so that they formed a mixture of color which made the aspect total very pleasant.

Initially one saw three sitted stones similar to those which one finds on this coast and which are of a coloured iron gray. Then two sat yellowish stones and above those two brick lines of a bold red. The arrangement of these materials took place in all the height of the building.

This tower was also before its fall, accompanied by a fort good fortification around built of bricks, flanked well and regularly built with beautiful forts outside, which had been built by the English in 1545, but this fortification fell on the side of the sea.

It is quite certain that the aforementioned tower until the day of its fall was used as headlight to guide the nautoniers during the night. But now that it is chue, fire is put at a small building that one built not hardly far and in the same line.

According to a third manuscript:

the mountain (the edge of cliff) was prolonged of 200 measuring apparatuses beyond the tower. At that time, the English surrounded it of a fort defended by square towers with residences for a many garrison. There was a brewery, a mill. These testimonys seem to show that in the space of two centuries and half, the sea destroyed and carried on the two sides of the port a portion of ground of 400 meters, reduced length, and that according to that, it had to destroy some at least as much during the seventeen centuries former to those.

As for the name and given to this headlight, which one made Ordre , which one wanted to make derive from ardens , it appears to come from Celtic the odr or odre which means limit, edge, term, shore . The word odre is in old acts of XIVe century and on the old plans of the country. Moreover one never says differently than odre when one speaks about the firm neighbor of the tower, and finally Malbrancq notices that the door of Boulogne giving on the shore named in the past the door of the limits . Today, this door is called the door of the dunes because of the sands amoncelés by the winds against the foot of the slope of the upper town.

And Mr Henry saw the covered shore of the remains of the tower and the rocks which supported the 55 meters height cliff on which this tower was sitted, changes which show the possibility of those of which it could not be the witness.

(Picturesque Store, year 1847)

Notes, references

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