A small town of farming and associated light industry situated by the banks of the river Varenne in the Pays de Bray, some 19 miles (31 km) southeast of Dieppe at the junction of the D929, D12, D99 and the D154 roads.

The seigneurs built again on Cateliers hill, this time a castle and a collegiate church which later became the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Wandrille.

The castle was taken in 1204 by the French king Philip II Augustus and became part of France, like most of Normandy by this time.

About 1167[4] a Cistercian convent dedicated to Mary Magdalene was founded near the village by nuns from Bival under the patronage of Empress Matilda.

The abbess was a friend of the king's mistress, Madame de Maintenon, who often contributed to the beautification of the church.