Bully-les-Mines

Bully-les-Mines is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France, seat of the canton in the arrondissement of Lens. It forms part of the Lens-Liévin urban area, which encompasses thirty-six French communes and 250,000 inhabitants..

History

The name of Bully-les-Mines has frequently changed over the centuries : from Bulgi (in 1135), to Bugi (1152), Builli (1157), Bullia (1198), Bully (1270), Boulli (1303), Buylly (1410), Builly-lez-Aix (1486), Builly-lez-Grenay (1511), Builly-en-Gohelle (1569), Bully-en-Gohelle (1709), Bully-Grenay (1750), Bully-en-Gohelle (1782), and finally to Bully-les-Mines in 1925.

According to many sources, the name has Gaulish origins. Ricouart proposes that "Bullire" derives from the French "bouillonner," a reference to the source of the river Surgeon in a neighboring commune. The current use of "les mines" indicates the importance of mining to the commune and the region. The train station has maintained the older name of Bully-Grenay, leading to occasional confusion among travellers.

Although the region has been inhabited from prehistory onward, no evidence of prehistoric settlements has yet been found at Bully. The oldest relic so far discovered in the commune is a Celtic bracelet; Bully once belonged to the "Pagus Silvinus" region of the Atrébates. Gallo-Roman discoveries have been numerous within the commune.

During the sixth century, Bully came under the spiritual leadership of the bishop......
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