
author
1810–1871
A 19th-century French historian and ethnologist, he wrote on the history of Lille and on folklore, customs, and earlier traditions. His work ranges from local history to broader ethnographic studies, giving it both scholarly value and old-world curiosity.

by Lucien de Rosny
Born in Valenciennes on February 2, 1810, Lucien de Rosny was a French historian and ethnologist who died in Levallois-Perret on April 23, 1871. He is remembered for combining a strong interest in regional history with a wider curiosity about customs, beliefs, and peoples.
Much of his writing focused on northern France, especially Lille and French Flanders. Among his known works are Histoire de Lille, capitale de la Flandre française, depuis son origine jusqu'en 1830 and Des nobles rois de l'Épinette, which reflect his taste for historical detail, archives, and older civic traditions. Library records also show him as the author of a range of ethnographic and historical studies.
He is also noted as the father of Léon de Rosny, who became an important scholar in his own right. Today, Lucien de Rosny is mainly of interest to readers drawn to 19th-century French historical writing, regional studies, and the early development of ethnology.