Antoing

Antoing is a French-speaking city of Belgium located in Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut.

Villages of the commune

Maubray, Fibulas-lez-Antoing, Bruyelle, Calonne and Fontenoy.

History

Prehistory

With the Neolithic era, the siliceous hills seem to be very attended by the prehistoric men who left cut flints there.

Roman epoch

Important archaeological discoveries were made there: a villa with the career of Kennelée, a tumulus recovering a paved underground leading to a funerary room with niches. This tumulus measured 23 m in diameter, the whole dating from the 4th century of our era.

Franque time

A cemetery and tombs mérovingiennes and Carolingians attest occupation of the site.

Times medieval and following

The first lord of known Antoing was Alard Ier lord of Epinoy which married says one a lady heiress of Antoing. It is them which several branches will descend from Antoing.

The descendants very quickly will include/understand the interest which represents the situation of Antoing, placed at the border of the two counties, Flanders and Hainaut, it will operate as fine politicians in order to grow rich while making assemble the biddings. The marriages also will have their importance in the vertiginous rise of this family. In three generations, they will be linked with the families of Namur, Mons and Rumigny, with the holder of prévôté of Douai and the family of Line.

Towards the end of the 13th century, Antoing will be divided into several branches, in addition to the main branch holder of the seigniories of Antoing and of Epinoy, Buggenhout and of prévôté of Douai, there will be the branch of Antoing lord of Bury and Bittremont, Antoing lords of Briffeuil, Genech, Wasmes and Amougies, Antoing lords of Belonne and Antoing lords of Ansevaing.

Towards 1328, Isabeau d' Antoing, last heiress of the seigniory of Antoing, of Epinoy, prévôte of Douai, lady of the manor of Ghent and lady of Sotteghem marries in second wedding Jean II Viscount of Melun, count de Tancarville who will make pass all the goods of his wife in the family of Melun. The latter will support the trade of draperies and the exploitation of the stone quarries.

In 1477, the troops bourguignones devastate and plunder the surroundings and besieges the castle.

February 18th, 1582, it is Marguerite of Parma which gives the order to dismantle the castle of Antoing and to confiscate the good of Pierre of Melun.

In 1590, Marie of Melun is the last heiress of the inheritance of Melun which passes after some adventures in the house of Line, except the French grounds which remained at the house of Melun-Epinoy.

Environment

The Walloon observatory of the Biodiversité estimates for example that in the neighborhoods of year 2000,5 to 15% of the species already disappeared and that 30 to 50% are in regression in Walloon region and that disappearance and the fragmentation of natural spaces is the first cause. The drain of the the Scheldt, fragmentation by the roads and the TGV add their impacts (of which pollution, disturbance, consumption of space and Roadkill) with those of local industry, but a notable biodiversity is still present on this sector (hills and plate wooded) thanks to poverty of the grounds which did not encourage agriculture nor the intensive Sylviculture.

The Scheldt is regarded as restoring within the framework of the ecological Réseau paneuropéen and in France of the green Trame and regional Bleue, and within the framework of the application of the Parent directive on Water and of an European directive draft on the Anguille.

The old or current Careers of Calcareous, Sand or Clay to be rehabilitated or not have an ecological fort potential (because mediums relatively protected from the Pesticide S and Engrais)

The sand martin ( Riparia riparia ) found habitats of substitution in certain sand pits where it forms colonies digging of the nest-tunnels of approximately 60 cm of depth, in which they lay and raise their small.

The wood of Antoing, Leuze and Hubermont form a wooded whole of massive pushing on poor and acid grounds overhanging the valley at a maximum altitude of 137 m, girdling Frasnes-lez-Anvaing (in the North-East). They cover the sandy slopes and the plate of the “chain of the Hills” at an altitude from 85 to approximately 13 meters. They constituted already a mature standing timber on the old chart Ferraris (also known as " Chart of Cabinet of the Netherlands "). Wood or the moor, as well as the basement were exploited there since the Early middle ages and well before that by the prehistoric men of the Neolithic eras in particular (cut flints).

Geology

The tops consist of acid tertiary sands of the Eocene higher - stage lédien - and of the average Eocene - stage laekenien. Siliceous rollers testify there to the marine origin of these deposits. Low, the stage panisélien (Eocene inferior) presents a sand stratification and clays. Still low the careers exploit limestone. One thus passes in gradiants successive of mediums very calcareous in very acid mediums, which explain a very high potential of biodiversity.

Forest

Except some spots of Resinous resulting from plantations on the old sand pits; Larch S (Larix decidua) and of spruce S ( Picea abies ), it is the grove of Hêtre S ( Fagus sylvatica ) silicole (pushing on acid ground) which dominates over the sandy plate of the tops. It constitutes what the phytosociologists name the association of the Fago-Quercetum . The Oak S and Frêne S ( Fraxinus exelsior ) are added to it on the slopes, as well as Châtaignier S ( Castanea sativa ) and maple S sycamores ( Acer pseudoplatanus ) with in the underwood some Houx ( Ilex aquifolium ) and in periphery the Sorbier of the bird-catchers ( Sorbus aucuparia ) and the warted birch ( Betulus pendula ). The Fern eagle ( Pteridium aquilinum ) and the Bramble ( Rubus sp. ) constitutes the high part of the herbaceous Strate where one finds also the Germandrée scorodoine ( Teucrium scorodonia ), the elegant Millepertuis ( Hypericum pulchrum ) or the Myrtille ( Vaccinium myrtillus ). In the clearings and edges of ways or cuts sunnier, the Digitale crimson ( Digitalis purpurea ) opens out, as well as the Millepertuis lying ( Hypericum humifusum ). The acid moor with Bruyère (Calluna vulgaris) develops in the Clairière S and on the sunny Lisière S

Low, on less acid grounds and more Silt they, the forest acidophile yields the place to a forest neutrocline with Humus soft, dominated by the hêtraie with some vestiges of oak groves. The Charm ( Carpinus betulus ), the ash ( Fraxinus excelsior ) enrich the coppice and the grove as well as the Viorne obier ( Viburnum opulus ), the Aubépine ( Crataegus monogyna ), the Noisetier ( Corylus avellana ) and sometimes, of the Néflier ( Mespilus germanica ). The fresher mediums shelter the knotty Scrophulaire ( Scrophularia nodosa ), the high Primevère ( Primula elatior ), the Circée of Paris ( Circea lutetiana ), the Petite periwinkle ( Vinca minor ), the Violette of wood ( Viola reichenbachiana ), the surelle ( Oxalis acetosella ) and the yellow Lamier ( Lamium galeobdolon ) and locally of the carpets of Bluebell ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta subsp. non-scripta ) Alder plantation-ash plantations Mésotrophe S managed in linear Taillis form the association Carici-Fraxinetum (according to Noirfalise) which characterizes the depression Alluvion naires along many ruisselets. In this miniature Forêt-galerie one finds a large biodiversity with the Laîche S (Laîche of wood ( Carex sylvatica ), the Laîche spaced ( Carex remota ), the thin Laîche ( Carex strigosa )), the Patience dragon's blood or blood sorrel ( Rumex sanguineus ), both Lysimaque S (Lysimachia nummularia and Lysimachia nemorum), the Ficaire ( Ranunculus ficaria ), the Large prêle ( Equisetum telmateia ), the cespiteuse Canche ( Deschampsia cespitosa ), the Veronique of the mountains ( Veronica Montana ), the scattered Snap ring ( Juncus effusus ), the floating Glycérie ( Glyceria fluitans ), the bitter Cardamine ( Cardamine will armara ), the female Fern ( Athyrium filix-femina ), both dorine S ( Chrysosplenium oppositifolium and Chrysosplenium alternifolium ), the giant fescue ( Festuca gigantea ), the Populage of the marshes ( Caltha palustris ), the Balsamine of wood ( Impatiens noli-tangere ).

Ecological functionality

These wood play a part of bridge and interface écopaysagère between the areas catchment of the Dendre and the basin of the Scheldt, and probably also of biological Corridor. They protect the water resource: the alternate layers of sand filter with clays are in the beginning many sources which feed in the North-East the rus of Ribaucourt and D' Hubermont of the basin of Dendre, and in south-west the Rone, affluent of the Scheldt.

(Primary source)

Economy

Since antiquity there exist limestone quarries on the territory of Antoing. in 1763 one recençait 7 blue stone quarries. Hundred years later two had disappeared and on the 5 remaining ones, 300 workmen were still employed there. In 1937 one still counts around fifties of workmen who still work on the last career in activity and in 1972 40 people are employed to manufacture crushed. With the careers of Antoing, one transformed natural cement and lime limestone. oldest industry was located at the hamlet of the Cuckoo. The 4 lime kilns of 1811 are tiny room to 2 twenty years later until the end 1900. Before the 1st world war 300 people work with the single remaining cement factory. The manufacture of artificial cement, finer, more uniform in its granulometry will carry a fatal neck to the cement factory of Antoing.

The clay of the area is employed by potters and of the manufacturer of tiles of XVIIeme to the XIX eme century. In same time, several Brasserie S functions as well as a Sucrerie and several company of salt refining.

Gallery

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