Creation of the Regional Natural Park 1974 (≈ 1974)
Fondation du Parc des Boucles de la Seine Normande.
1975
Initial repository of objects
Initial repository of objects 1975 (≈ 1975)
7,000 items deposited by Mr. and Mrs. Dubois.
1990
Acquisition of the oral fund
Acquisition of the oral fund 1990 (≈ 1990)
100 audio tapes acquired from Jean Delahaye.
2000
Deposit of the textile fund
Deposit of the textile fund 2000 (≈ 2000)
410 textile pieces filed by Mauricette Delahaye.
2001
Final acquisition of the Dubois deposit
Final acquisition of the Dubois deposit 2001 (≈ 2001)
The objects become property of the Park.
2013
New scientific project
New scientific project 2013 (≈ 2013)
Focus on the world of work.
2016
Collection on factories
Collection on factories 2016 (≈ 2016)
Testimonials about workers on the banks of the Seine.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Guy Dubois et son épouse - Initial donors
Storage of 7,000 objects in 1975.
Jean Delahaye - Oral Memory Collector
Fund of 100 audio cassettes in 1990.
Mauricette Delahaye - Donor of the textile fund
Deposit of 410 coins in 2000.
Origin and history
The Ethnotheque, Musée des Boucles de la Seine Normande, was created as part of the Parc naturel régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande, founded in 1974. This park comprises municipalities bordering the Seine, from Rouen to the estuary, and covers areas such as the Pays de Caux and the Plateau du Roumois. As early as 1975, the collection was enriched by a deposit of 7,000 objects related to everyday life and traditional trades, offered by Mr. and Mrs. Guy Dubois. These objects, initially in storage, were finally acquired in 2001 with the help of FRAM, thus becoming property of the Park.
In the 1970s, the Park launched an oral collection campaign, supplemented in 1990 by the acquisition of an oral memory fund of 100 audio cassettes from Jean Delahaye. In 2000, Ms. Mauricette Delahaye filed a 410 piece textile fonds. The collection, which now has more than 12,000 objects, documents and testimonies, covers themes such as rural crafts, navigation, popular traditions and proto-industry in the former Upper Normandy. It also includes sound archives, textiles, tools and photographs.
The museum focuses its research on the world of work, notably after a scientific and cultural project conducted in 2013. In 2016, an exceptional collection documented the lives of the workers of the factories bordering the Seine, between Rives-en-Seine and Duclair. The collection is exhibited in the ecomuseums of Roumois and during temporary exhibitions at the Maison du Parc, Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit. It illustrates lost occupations such as cartron, blacksmith or weaver, as well as aspects of river, agricultural and domestic life.
The fund also includes 400 hours of oral testimony, enriched annually by thematic collections. These archives document oral traditions, festive rituals, craftsmanship and nature-related knowledge. The museum, labeled Musée de France, also preserves a photo library of old postcards and photographs, as well as a collection of objects related to popular rites, such as snails or harvest bouquets.
