Elbeuf is a
commune in the
Seine-Maritime
department in the
Haute-Normandie
region in northern
France.
A
light industrial town situated by the banks of the
Seine some 11 miles (18 km) south of
Rouen at the junction of the D7, D321 and the D313
roads. The commune’s territory is largely residential to
the north but the southern section is covered by thick
woodland. Its position by a
meander of the Seine leaves the town susceptible to
flooding.
The first written record of
the town was in the 10th century, on a map of
Richard I of Normandy, under the name "Wellebou".
According to the
Nuttall Encyclopedia of 1907, it had a
flourishing manufacturing business in cloth,
woollens, and similar items.