Boncourt (Aisne)

Geography

Boncourt, Cant. of Sissonne, arr. of Laon, Popul. In 1295-450 hab. (90 fires), in 179-411 hab., 1911-404 hab., in 1999-225 hab., is built on a rather abrupt eminence, with six miles (25 km) in the North-East of Laon. The Bottom of the village and part of its soil in the south is located in a small valley of no importance. Also of no importance is the hill which is prolonged in the west to the soil of co. PROOF. With the top of the village, the country is flat.

This commune is limited to north by the soils of CLERMONT, CHAOURSE and the VILLE-AUX-BOIS; in the east by that of DIZY-LE-GROS; in the south by that of LAPPION; in south-west and west by that of Co.-PROOF; in the North-West by that of BUCY-LES-PIERREPONT. Four principal ways cutting itself in cross in the top of the country, lead to SISSONNE, MONTCORNET, BUCY and LAPPION. The farms of St-ACQUAIRE are to approximately three km, the North-East of the chief town.

Nothing remarkable to say on the meteorology . Hail exerts sometimes light devastations, seldom on the soil of BONCOURT, but rather particularly on that of Saint-Acquaire, without nothing coming to explain this difference. The grounds are divided into three category: Siliceous grounds, approximately 17ha 61a 50ca. Grounds limestones, 31ha 23a 20ca and argillaceous Terres, 1246ha 39a 15ca.

Neither river, neither rivers, nor brooks in the commune. Only one ditch going from the east in the west is in the bottom of the country. This ditch in which sometimes spring water in the wet and rainy years runs goes up into the Ardennes and will finish in the marshes of CHIVRES.

The country, formerly extremely timbered and including/understanding an extent of 170ha 80a 70ca, does not count today any more, in consequence of clearing that 10ha 50a approximately. The principal gasoline is the Chêne almost exclusively. One finds there as some Charme S, the other species are if not very many as it is not necessary to mention them. In fact of fauna, we have to hardly quote but few hares and some rabbits. The flora is the same one as that of Laonnois.

History

Sit of an important commandery of hospital of Saint-Jean-of-Jerusalem and about Malta. The village suffered from the wars of religion to the Middle Ages, and was under the German occupation at the time of the first and the second world war.

THE COMMANDERIE OF BONCOURT: The hospital knights of Midsummer's Day of Jerusalem, known thereafter under the name of knights of Rhodos, then of Malta, appear to be attracted in Laonnois, like Templiers, by the piles bishop Barthélemi de Joux, which we already saw at the origin of so many holy famous foundations. They were fixed at Boncourt since 1133. Their fields were not long in multiplying. The commandery of Boncourt, increased by the addition to XVe century of the old Temple of Thony and later of the old commandery of Seraincourt, in Porcien, became one of the richest establishments of the Large-Priory of France. The commander of Boncourt even had rights of justice to Boncourt, in Thony and with Cerny-in-Laonnois, the censives ones in Bruyères and Berrieux. The last commander of Boncourt, Nicolas-Pierre of Our, lieutenant-general of the naval armies, large-baillif de Morée, gave to farm, on December 25th, 1789 (Cointre, not. In Châtelet of Paris), all incomes of its benefit with Marc-Alexis-Antoine Gandon of Vernon, managing director of the farms of the King, and with Jacques-Clement Blondel, general contractor of the sale of salt, with the help of 48.000 books, and it is for this reason that Blondel leased of 1790 to 1792 (the last act is of September 17th) various goods with Boncourt as prosecutor of the commander.

Ground and seigniory of Boncourt . A charter of Milon, lord of Sissonne, in 1210, recalls that its grandfather, Pierre de Sissonne and his wife had made at the holy house of the Hospital of Boncourt several donations reported in an act of the Barthélemi bishop, had gone back to 1133, now lost; this lord recognized with the brothers the right of pasture for their cattle in his wood and yielded 10 to them wood muids. It is perhaps bold to conclude with Mannier (commanderies of the large priory of France), of the terms of this document that Boncourt depended in the beginning on the seigniory on Sissonne and that the Hospital ones had come to be fixed at it following liberalities of the Pierre lord. At all events, the monks of Saint-Michel in Thiérache gave up to them in 1157 the church of the place with all the grounds returned while depending.

the Castle of Boncourt , in the enclosure of which there is a parish church under the invocation of saint Jean Baptiste very quite decorated, whose Commandeur lord is owner and full outlet drain and which are free from all the rights of accesses and other rights spiritual and temporal of Evêché de Laon, according to the privileges of the order and the judgment of the Court of Parliament of the 20 aoust 1531 contradictorily returned against Mr. cardinal of Bourbon, Evêque of Laon. (the church of Boncourt, located in the enclosure of the castle did not have a factory, nor incomes - the commandery ensured all the expenditure of the worship). In the same enclosure of the walls and close to the Church is built the castle made up of the various buildings, course, dovecotes, gardens and other embellishments, and at the entry of this castle are two beautiful and large farms, made up of the main buildings, barns and other building being used for the farmers of Commanderie with a building in before court for housing of the caretaker.

the lord Commandeur has very high, average and low justice in the extent of the commandery and seigniory of Boncourt, members, territories, farms, dependences and their appendices; forks patibulaires with three pillars on main road which leads to Sissonne close to Wood to the Stage, post with yoke on the place of Boncourt and voyery on all the streets and ways of this place and the appendices; for which to exert there is bucket, lieutenant, prosecutor tax, clerk, sergeant and two guards for the conservation of the territories and wood to maintain the police force. The known as Commandeur lord has the right of wrecks, vacant goods, fishing, hunting, of withdrawal feudal, the right of middle-class of eight grounds by each one household heads or full household and of four grounds by each widow or a sharp hen plucks some for one and a half hen for the other; taxable quota and revenues seigneuriales by each arpent of ground and hundred rods, in twenty two feet for rods, twelve inches for feet, in a quartel of grain such as he is believed on the known as grounds and in two thirds of the oats quartel, the whole with the ordinary measurement of known as Boncourt, payable at the day of St Martin of winter. The right of taxable quota and revenues seigneuriales on the houses, gardens, and heritages, such as it is due according to the old burrows, payable at each year at the Christmas Day to the Castle.

Administration

TOWN HALL

INTERVENTION AND FIRE PROTECTION ORGANIZATION

In place since many years the FIREMEN of BONCOURT carry out the emergency interventions in the neighbouring commune and localities.

VILLAGE HALL

The new village hall is built on old the dépotoire commune (called commonly the career ), this one was moved in against bottom of the valley in direction of Bucy.

OR TO SLEEP?

Rural lodging BONCOURT Aisne - Hiring holidays. In the middle of the calm and peaceful small village, in charge of history and traditions. Charming stone-built house of 120 m ² in a raised garden closed and independent of 1000 m ². To 20 km of Laon, 45 km of Rheims and 50 km of Belgium to the doors of the churches of Thiéarche, it is a place privileged to discover this beautiful department. Rich person in history: Laon counts 80 historic buildings, adding to the charm of the medieval city.

Demography

Places and monuments

Church Midsummer's Day . BONCOURT has a church built apart from the country, in the north of this one and belonging to the properties having belonged to the knights of Malta formerly. This church is placed under the term of St JEAN-BAPTISTE whose festival is celebrated on June 24th. Its interior length is of 27m50, its width of 8m. The current church is composed of a large vessel without any character, extremely well restored inside but without style. This large vessel come to be joined in the angle towards the long side, a sacristy like on the pinion in the west, a porch, narrower and low than the central vessel. The furnace bridge is located against the pinion. The pediment of the retable presents two vases of pinks connected by garlands of pinks, out of carved stones. On the two sides, two small posts hones some imitating the marble, furnished with a head of angel in the medium. Formant melts, one limps representing the baptism of N.S. In bottom, the furnace bridge forms a reinforcement in which one sees a sculpture representing the death of saint Joseph, Marie and Jesus the assistant at his last times.

The CEMETERY extends behind the church and one reaches it while crossing the porch.

The greatest characteristic of this church at the XIXe century was the absence of the bell-tower until Mgr. DUVAL blesses the new bell-tower (current) on November 6th, 1892. The roof is very high; a species of attic window practiced in this roof makes it possible the single bell to be made hear. A staircase with stage in the interior of the church led to this bell-tower of a new kind.

Vault of Saint-Acquaire XIXe. New oratory builds outside the firm one replacing the old vault of the commandery destroyed in the middle of the XVIIIe century to make place with sheep-folds. This vault under the invocation of St Jean Baptist, located in front of the common well, had 30 feet “9m60” length on 20 feet “6m50” broad.

Personalities related to the commune

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