Mentioned in a Latin written document as
Vernum, the /m/ at the end could be the last remains of the
Celtic magus 'plain' or 'market', or it is a simple latinization, and the origin is just the Celtic word
*uerno,
alder tree (
Breton gwern,
Welsh gwern,
Irish fern, modern
French verne). The village gave its name to a family who took part in the
Norman Conquest of England, and then became a British first name. The town is home to the Établissement Saint-Adjutor, a notable private school.
Important dates • 750 – First mention of the name Vernon by
Pepin the Short. • 1070 – Birth of
Saint Adjutor. • 1123 – Building of Vernon Castle • 1153 – Vernon is besieged by king
Louis VII. • 1196 – Vernon is joined to the
royal domain by King
Philip II Augustus. • 1227 –
Saint-Louis comes to Vernon. • 1415 – Vernon becomes English. • 1449 – Vernon passes to France (king
Charles VII). • 1596 – 8 October,
Henry IV visits Bizy Castle. • 1600 – Construction of the Vieux-Moulin (old mill). • 1606 –
Henry IV creates a school. • 1723 – Creation of the Avenue des Capucins. • 1789 – Thomas Jefferson, his family, and Sally and James Hemings stop at Vernon on their way to Le Havre to return to America. • 1804 – Vernonnet is attached to Vernon. • 1810 –
Napoleon comes to Vernon. • 1843 – Arrival of the
Paris-
Rouen-
Le Havre railroad. • 1858 – Building of the Saint-Louis Hospital. • 1860 – Highworks urbanism in the centre by Suchet d'Albuféra. • 1862 – Building of the library. • 1895 – Inauguration of the new town hall by Adolphe Barette. • 1897 – First cinema show at the Vernon Theatre. • 1910 – The
Seine river floods the town. • 1946 – Arrival of 28 German scientists from
Peenemünde to develop French rockets. • 1951 – First attempt to launch a
Véronique rocket (
Vernonelectr
onic) • 1955 – Inauguration of the Clémenceau Bridge. • 1966 – Building of the Georges Dumézil high school. • 1983 – First edition of the
Foire aux Cerises (cherry fair). • 1992 – Building of the Espace Culturel Philippe Auguste. ==Population==