Falaise

Falaise, a town in the French department of Calvados, on the Ante, a feeder of the Dives, 23 miles (by rail 31) SSE. of Caen. Crowning a rocky platform, with a steep cliff or falaise, stands the noble ruined castle once the seat of the dukes of Normandy, and the birthplace of William the Conqueror. Its keep is Norman, whilst 'Talbot's' Tower is said to have been built by Talbot, after the capture of Falaise by Henry V. of England. The town has cotton works, dye-works, a bell-foundry, with trade in horses and cattle, cottons, hosiery, and bobbin-net, and dye and tan works. At the suburb of Guibray a fair, established by the Conqueror, is held in August. Pop. 8176.