Talk:Pale of Calais

The Pale

Why was it called the "Pale" of Calais? The only other time I've seen this word used in a place name is the Pale of Settlement. Were there special settlement restrictions in the region? siafu (talk) 21:38, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

"Palus" is the Latin word for "Stake". The Pale of Calais was, in principle if not in practice, the area defended by a wall made of stakes surrounding the Calais area -- a palisade. The Pale of Settlement (or Pale of Dublin) was similar. In principle "our kind of people" live inside the pale; outsiders live beyond the pale. Be that as it may, I have no idea if there were special settlement restrictions in the Pale of Calais but I would doubt it. -- Derek Ross | Talk 16:16, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Was it part of France or England?

Interesting question perhaps there is something out there that can answer this or at least discuss. Since Calais at this time sent MPs to the English House of Commons was it actually really an English Town and not a French one? (At least as far as the English are concerned). It seems a fair proportion of the population where of Flemish ethnicity and not French. Of course at the time the Kings of England also claimed to be the true Kings of France, so a question that perhaps should be explored, (if the sources allow) is did the Monarchs of England rule Calais with their English Crowns on or their French ones? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 149.254.51.236 (talk) 00:20, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

I would trust that there were no French folk living in the Pale of Calais, but moreso the Pale of Calais had (amongst folk with loyalties to England, Flanders and France or moreso Paris) a 'French-speaking' administrative class, and maybe also trading class (though French was likely not needed in English and Dutch dealings) So, again, just because a clerk may of spoke French for administrative purposes does not mean their loyalties lay with whatever France was at the time. French has historically been like an poorman's Latin lingua franca. Most folk do not twig how much of the rim which is nowadays France is reletively recently annexed land.

writeup could be so much longer and deeper

What a waste, this wiki could be so much longer and deeper.

Seeing that existing maps of TPOC on the web are somewhat (deliberately?) crappy, maybe it would be a good thing if this Pale of Calais wiki could go out of its way to harbour a large detailed map(s) of the Pale of Calais.

Also, this wikipage could do with underlining that the Pale of Calais (for all its history) was an English settled enclave within a Dutch-speaking abode both to the south and north and east.

It is also known as 'English Flanders'

Could there at least be a byword that the Pale of calais was also known (in English, Dutch and German) as 'English Flanders' — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.223.127.247 (talk) 18:07, 28 October 2015 (UTC)