Colombey
Colombey is a old commune department of the the Moselle now annexed to the commune of Coincy.
It is in ignored place that one defended of the enemy of many times. In the beginning it was a village with whole share but there remain about it practically nothing. Still remain in the cattle pen of the current farm the cellars and foundations in ruin of the Château of Colombey and some of the rare gasolines planted there by the baron De Tschudi. Further in edge of forest, ruins of the church Saint Nabor de Colombey which was perhaps built by the Ordre of Templiers. While going up towards the district of Borny, one can see famous “the Alley of deaths” strewn with memorials; it was the theater of the Bataille of Borny-Colombey on August 14th, 1870.
History
Origin of the village and its name.
It is supposed that the village existed before the Roman epoch. One indeed found in Colombey a whole of mardelles which was to probably support huts on Pilotis.In any case, it is certain that Colombey existed at the time Roman and one can think a monumental dovecote (in Latin columbarium ) like the Romans were accustomed to building some: vast buildings in the countryside which were used to raise several thousands of Pigeon S or Colombe S. They had much more importance than our pigeon modern.
Colombey being located on the Roman way of Metz (Divodurum) at Mainz (Moguntiacum), it has nothing astonishing there so that a majestic dovecote, dependant on a Roman villa, rose there. One could see, at the time of the large building site of work of correction of the road alignment of Saarbrucken, in 1993, a portion of the Roman way released by the bulldozers. Colombey was to form a whole of huts in the medium of which a large surmounted tower of a metal pigeon rose.
Towards 756, Holy Chrodegang, bishop of Metz, brought back relics of Saint Nabor which it had reported of Rome. It deposited them with the monastery of Hilariacum or Nova Cella, which became of this Saint-Nabor fact which formed the agglomeration that one knows today under the name of Saint-Avold. The bishop Angilram (768-791), old profès of Nabor Saint and buried in this monastery, maintained this devotion. One can admit that at that time already, an oratory was built in Colombey or that there was a relation with the monastery of Saint-Avold when was built the Saint-Nabor church of Colombey.
Towards 950, the biography of Holy Glossinde of Metz by Jean, the abbot of Saint-Arnould, we says that the “ dominated ” had the “ villa Columbaria ”; it had come to Metz to be made cure its hallucinations by requesting the tomb of Holy Glossinde.
The name of the village varied with the wire of time, one finds in the files:
- 940 : Colombarium (das Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen, T. III, Ortsbeschreibung, p. 189)
- 1276: Dovecotes (secular observations by Paul Ferry I, p. 265)
- 1285: Collambiers (Wichmann, T. IV, p. 227)
- 1307: Columbiers (files of the town hall of Metz AA, app. at St)
- 1330 sits: Collenbey (Cartulaire of the Saint-Etienne Cathedral of Metz)
- 1404: Collenbey (list of the cities)
- 1544: Colembei, Colombey, Columbeyo, Colombeyio (pouillé of Metz)
- 1552: Dove (chronic in worms under the name of Jean the old Lord of the manor)
- 1610: Dove (Nova territorii Metensis description, auctore A. Fabert)
- 1635: Dove (Newspaper of Jean Bauchez, clerk of justice of the Abbey Saint-Symphorien)
- 18th century: Coulombé (chart of France by Cassini)
Demography
Known censuses:- 1793: 89 inhabitants;
- 1800: 70 inhabitants;
- 1806: 66 inhabitants.
Colombey: grounds of the abbey of Senones.
We know that in 1111, the emperor Henri V, being with Strasbourg, delivered with the monks of the abbey of Senones, a charter confirming the property of the ground of Colombey: Colombare, domusque is Metis cum vinea and ecclesia Sancti Hilarii - Actum Argentinoo VIII Kalindas Octobri. ”.
A bubble of the pope Calixte II the IV of the nuns of April 1123 confirms with the Antoine abbot of Pavia the goods and privileges of Senones and quotes “Ecclesiam de Columbare, cum duobus mansis,…”. In the same way in a bubble of the pope Honorius II of the VII of the ides of April 1125, like in a bubble of the pope Eugene III in 1146 and in another of the pope Alexandre III, on December 6th 1179. All these papal bubbles reinforced the imperial bubble of 1111 by adding to it two farms of a dozen arpents each one.
According to Dom Calmet, Abbot of Senones at the 18th century, the Abbot of Senones, with the diocese of Toul, was outlet drain of the cure, owner and decimator of Colombé according to titles of the years 1111, 1123 and 1152.
In 1124, Jean d' Apremont, bishop of Metz, gave the dîme and the church of it to the Abbot of Senones of the assent of the prince, the senior and all the Chapter of the Church of Metz. In November 1224, a charter of Jean, primicier of the chapter of St Paul of the cathedral of Metz, known as: “Quod donationi factus Ecclesia de Colombiers abbatia Senonensi”.
The bell-tower of the church, remaining among the ruins, is dated from the 12th century. Consequently, the cure of Colombey serves the villages of Colombey, Coincy and Aubigny and is the seat during all Middle Ages of an important parish of the archpriest of Noisseville.
At the beginning of the 13th century, it is a Lord of Craincourt which is dedicated of Colombey and in 1246, Isabelle, Dame of Craincourt, and his/her Thierri son sold all that they had with the abbey of Senones.
In 1276, the Chapter of St Arnould sells with the Léproserie Vallières, “all the heritage which Chiese deu Sainct Arnvald had for purposes of Dovecote”.
In 1293, Baudouin, Abbot of Senones, sold with two residents of Metz, Stévenin wire and Pierson Billerois, all the grounds which they had in Colombey and Coincy, reserving the right to perceive the dîme as decimator of the parish church, right that they were to preserve until the Révolution. The priests of the parish of Colombey all were named besides by the Abbot of Senones until in 1789.
In 1296, the Benedictines of Senones ensured to remain with the priest of Colombey, with the sacerdos like beuverot, a field located at the Sablon close to the fountain of St Goëris.
Confusions, plunderings and fires of Colombey of 1400 up to 1870
As of 1404 it would seem that Colombey belonged to Jehan Ranguillon which was Master-Alderman of Metz in 1392, 1404 and 1416. The village counted “9 then feulz, 25 chevalz and 50 bestes horned”.The July 14th 1429, Colombey is flaring and its walls devastated by two army corps of badois and Bavarian combined to the Duke Charles II of Lorraine which wished to seize Metz.
In 1461, the village belongs to the Benedictines of St Vincent.
The hamlet hardly reappeared of its ashes when the German bands of Franz von Sickinger devastated it in 1518.
In November 1552, they are not only any more the Brandenburgers but the troops of all the empire that Charles Quint and the pile cluster, besieging Metz, piled up around the city. Under the orders of the pile cluster, they plundered and burned in addition to Colombey , Barn-with-Wood, Mercy-le-Haut, Véry, Frontigny, Pouilly and Fleury, in the Saulnois and the High-Way.
The Guerre Thirty Year old (1618 - 1648) was to save Colombey nor none villages of the plate: in 1635, the Imperial ones, led by Official receptions, were ruèrent on the plains of the High-Way thinking of entering Metz without blow to férir but were stopped with Flanville by the troops that the duke Bernard of Saxony-Weimar, combined France, had installed in the forests of Colombé . “Of the bodies of advanced guards of known as Gallas aupprès of Flanville and that of Francoys with Collombé estoient”.
New disasters awaited Colombey and all the High-Way: the June 16th 1712, the town of Metz being dismantled troops, a “body of Hungarian roughneck soldiers and pandours Bohemian” ordered by Gröwenstein (Gravestein) tried to surprise Metz. But, according to the expression of time, “Metz was not a piece to be swallowed of a blow”. It was withdrawn by plundering and burning all that fell to him under the hand. Aubigny had six burned houses, Borny six, Coincy six also; Colombey had of them three and they were the same in all the villages of the High-Way.
The January 16th 1814, two regiments Prussian and of the Russian cossacks, avant-garde of the first invasion, occupy and plunder Borny, Colombey and Grigy.
Lastly, Colombey sees terrible the battles of August 14th, 1870 and, causes continual combat of fourrageurs, is burned by order of the place of Metz, the October 27th 1870.
Owners of Colombey: Ranguillon lords at our days.
The last Ranguillon lord had died the October 25th 1485, without leaving descendants. The seigniory passed to Goulon. Gédéon Goulon, grènetier of the town of Metz, left in 1628 with its widow, Suzanne Flavigny, the field of Colombey . This one owed remarier in 1629 with Philippe de Vigneulles. His/her oldest son, Gédéon II Goulon, thus succeeded to him, then the son of this last, Louis Goulon. An act of the September 20th 1632 supposes a family settlement with division of goods. This division, were to succeed of the sales.In 1665, the field is divided between the abbey of Senones, Duchat and Michelet.
In 1676, Abraham Michelet, lawyer of the Parliament of Metz and general receiver of the city, took again half of the seigniory to the Abbot of Senones, Dom Joachim Vivin. At the same time, Philippe Rollin, alderman and adviser of Metz, carry out the same recovery for a sixth of the seigniory.
The December 29th 1680, Lea Royer, widow in second weddings of David Duchat, made taken again either with the Abbot of Senones, but to King de France, at a rate of a third of the seigniory. In January 1681, Philippe Rollin and Abraham Michelet made them as homage to the King de France of their grounds and seigniory of Colombey, at the same time as Joseph Psaume, prior claustral, for the grounds and seigniories of the abbey of Senones with “close Dove Metz”.
The April 30th 1681, the owners of the stronghold deposited his enumeration before the royal court of the Parliament of Metz. Abraham Michelet had, in any property: “The house seigneuriale located at lower end of the village, costé of the church, at the entry of which house there is a farmyard, barns, sheep-fold, estables and turns, dovecotes and other residences, as well as half of the grounds. Dame Royer had in addition to a third of the grounds, a quarter of the garden. Philippe Rollin had, him, a small house and a sixth of the grounds… … in foy of quoy let us have sign the present adveu and declaration of our hands and seal of the seal of our weapons on April 30th, 1681. ”
In 1681, the old feudal castle was always upright. Located at the end of the village, on the side of the church, it was flanked of a dovecote with four pillars, badge of high justice and its enclosure of turns of which one of them acted as keep.
Abraham Michelet died the February 8th 1684 and was buried with the church St Victor of Metz. Lea Royer gave the ground which it had with her godson, a Swiss officer with the service of France: Theodore De Tschudi. The heirs to Abraham Michelet also sold the stronghold which belonged to them with this last.
Three generations of barons follow one another, the passage of the family De Tschudi with Colombey transformed the lieus (see the article corresponding on this family).
Anne-Charlotte de Tschudy married the May 8th 1833 the baron Jean-Baptist-Laurent-Adrien de Tricornot, former captain with the 9th cuirassier. Resulting from a former noble family of the High Marne, the baron had withdrawn himself from the army since 1830. He also devoted him to agriculture and became president of the Agricultural Meeting of Metz, Colombey flowered of more beautiful.
His/her son, the Baron Charles de Tricornot, born in 1835, occupied the castle in 1870. He left it at the last time with arrived of German to take refuge with Metz with his family. He made rebuild only the farm of Colombey which had been burned after the engagements. The castle and the park having also burned, Mr. de Tricornot settled with the castle of Charly which his/her father-in-law Mr. Ernest de Lardemelle yielded to him where he continued to devote himself “to the culture and the improvement of the equine race”, refusing to engage in the policy, all with its businesses and its family, he died the February 7th 1905. In 1978, one living of Coincy remembered: “Ah, the baron de Tricornot! Towards 1895 - 1898, it still returned to Colombey . In the barouche with two wheels and two horses, with a servant in delivered, the last lord of the manor of Colombey , sitting vis-a-vis the landscape, in houppelande, led the attachment itself. With the back, with the place of honor, the servant… that was held did not miss pace. ”
To its death, the field passed by half to its two grand-daughters: Marie-Louise-Jeanne de Dartein-Tricornot, marries of the baron Jacques-Henri-Marie-Olric de Bouvier and Josèphe-Marie-Louise de Dartein-Tricornot, marries of the Count Arthur-Marie-Robert de France, colonel in retirement which bequeathed his share, in 1966 with Marie-Christine-Clemence of France, marries of Roger Fleury.
Today, the rebuilt farm exists always, pertaining for half to Fleury and the other to the Bernard-Michel consorts. Schmitt exploit these 190 hectares of wire father since 1912. Of Jean-Pierre with Justin, of Justin with Jean and Jean with Jean-Paul.
Mr. Jean-Paul Schmitt accommodates and informs with a great kindness, indicating finger the last large trees of the park, the ruins of the stables of the castle and church in wood.
History of the village since the Revolution
Before 1789, Colombey made party of the province of the Three bishoprices and was under the jurisdiction of the bailliage présidial of Metz.In 1789, the original registers of grievances are written in Saulnois patois. They are classified by bailliage. They were fortunately translated into modern French in 1889, at the time of the centenary of the French revolution. The book of Colombey' dates from the March 10th 1789. It was written before an assembly of eleven comparing in front of the syndic Jean Remy. On the eleven, seven signed in addition to the syndic. Colombey' counted 14 fires then. The inhabitants of Colombey ask so that their province be set up in province of States under the name of Austrasie. They ask the abolition of the farmers general, of the permission of fences of close (which restricts the breeding), of the gruery, the saltworks, the stud farms… They want that the décimateurs are in charge of the maintenance of the parish churches and to pay the schoolmasters, that justice is more briefly returned and that it is equal for all, that one removes with the lords one the third of the communal goods or although they deal with the third of the loads which are attached there…
In 1790, the village belongs to the canton of Flanville and it passed by the organization of year III of the Republic (1794) in that of Ars-Laquenexy. The December 30th 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte names the president of the cantonal assembly Jean-Nicolas Lejeune, mayor of Colombey “man of much of spirit and reconciling nature”.
Colombey will remain a communal chief town until the decree of the August 21st 1812 which joins together it with Coincy. The November 25th 1812, the town hall of Colombey is removed, the registers and papers will be transferred to the files from Coincy and Aubigny.
In 1817, the village counts 73 inhabitants divided in 11 houses. Colombey however has 304 ha of productive grounds (including 134 in vines, 24 out of wood and 5 in waste land). Mr. Viville points out to us that “the gardens of Colombey enjoy for a long time a high reputation for the great number of exotic trees that Mr. Tschoudi cultivated there with as much ability than of success, and who are today of a great beauty”.
It is told that the cross in front of current farm commemorates the many deaths due to the plague during the year 1820 at the families Schmitt, Streiff and Barthélémy. The building which was in a garden of Coincy being broken down to causes of the bad weather, it was moved in Colombey. In spite of displacement the piece of a m ² to Coincy is registered and one needs 35 signatures for the exproprier!
A cadrastal map of the castle and its park on the scale 1/2500e, gone back to 1820, which was on the first floor of the farm (begun again by the owners) watch the few houses which were destroyed there in 1850 - 51. One can notice there the shape of dove in the park, at the bottom of the patio.
In 1844, Verronnais still mentioned the great beauty of the park.
In 1860, the village always has 70 inhabitants but only 4 houses. There remain only 247 ha of productive grounds.
In March 1886 took place fusion between the German company of agriculture and the old Meeting under the denomination of “agricultural Show of the districts of Metz and Metz-Countryside”. The Baron de Tricornot, last president of the Meeting to the Frenchwoman, will have to yield his load to the director of Sittel district. New Meeting will form to part the majority of the large owners.
War of 1870
For the course of the battle of August 14th, 1870 to see the corresponding article: Battle of Borny-Colombey.The August 26th 1870, 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 84e of line, to which a company of the 97e same mixed brigade had united, give an opinion in the wood of Colombey . After having pulled about during some time with the enemy, our soldiers seize the Château of Colombey, where was installed the Prussian ambulance. In this skirmish, the Clerc second lieutenant is seriously wounded like 4 men.
Combat of the August 31st and of September 1st: The north of the canton is still the theater of engagements. After the battle of Gravelotte, the marshal Bazaine which has not been able to cut through a path towards Châlons, was locked up in Metz. Immediately, the Prussians made the blockade of the city, laying out eight army corps around. The marshal imagines then, to bore the forces deployed in the east in direction of Holy-Bores to go then towards Thionville. Left Metz on August 31st, the troops begin again with the enemy Colombey , Aubigny (where a company of 51e of line settles) and Coincy. But the following day, with the point of the day, by a thick fog, the Prussians open an artillery fire of hell to reconquer the lost ground. Coincy is in flames and the retreat of the French units forces Bazaine to operate the retirement on all the line, of midday to the falling night.
The September 22nd 1870 of new combat with Colombey , of the officers of the 41e of line are wounded: the Gardey Captain, lieutenants Savoye and Escande and the Develotte second lieutenant.
The September 27th 1870 the French made a new exit attacking the castle of Colombey where the Prussians were cut off. The 18th battalion of hunters supported by the 62e of line very resolutely approach the Prussian riflemen established in the part of wood who advance towards the farm and the castle of Colombey, flush out some and dislodge them of the buildings, by continuing them with the bayonet. Engagement was short, but keener. By withdrawing the enemy fire had put at the farm and the castle. The next month, the October 27th, Colombey will be entirely burned by order of the place of Metz, causes continual combat of fourrageurs.
War memorials of 1870
After the war, Colombey became for the residents of Metz, either the goal of a pleasant walk like before, but a true pilgrimage around the tombs, of the ruins of the castle and the saved trees.In 1895, one cut down the eagle of the monument of the 73e with Colombey where the emperor Guillaume II liked to go.
In the park, at the edge of the road, the German military cemetery with the monument of the Westphalian regiment of infantry is n°13. Set up in 1895, this monument is one of most beautiful than the Germans set up on the battle fields. Composed of a surmounted base of an obelisk, in front of which a group of two subjects representing is placed a wounded soldier and the statue “Westphalia”. This cemetery comprises 11 individual tombs, 2 collective tombs and 2 ossuaries of officers and German soldiers.
There exist five monuments which mark out the “Alley of deaths”, a way bordered of fir trees which connects the road of Borny to Colombey . The Germans tested such losses and deaths were so numerous there that the last remained upright. Since the Germans indicate this way only macabre name of “Totenallee”. Three German monuments of 15th, 55e Westphalian regiments and of the 7th battalion of hunters to foot. This last monument was inaugurated the August 14th 1907 and the soldier bronzes some surmounting it was removed clandestinely after the armistice of 1918 and remained untraceable. One can also find a monument of the 31e Westphalien regiment with some burials of German soldiers and on the right of the alley, a monument of the fusiliers hanovriens.
Near the road of Saarbrucken, one finds one 6th monument of the Hanseatic regiment (it was moved when the road alignment was modified into 199?).
One 7th monument is set up on the road active of Colombey to Aubigny, it is a monument of the 45e Prussian regiment and the small cemetery which surrounds it comprises 5 collective tombs German officers and soldiers.
XXe century
Commemoration of the August 14th 1907: “Has 3 hours, one gets under way for Borny. In turn, one crosses the Friendship, Lauvallières, the Limit, and us here in the center of the battle field of the August 14th. Many a tumuli surmounted modest white cross indicates as many burials valiant fallen for their fatherland. In the center of the plain gilded by the rich person harvests, one designates us enclose where 700 brave men sleep. And further, barring the horizon of a dark line, the “Alley of Deaths”, with its emaciated fir trees which seem to recall eternally it sinks drama of which they were pilot. Then one goes to the monument French soldiers located at one kilometer of the village, towards Colombey”. The last commemorative ceremony of the French Memory around the monuments of the Alley of Dead goes back to 1938.In 1914, the castle still included/understood rather important ruins which made it possible to reconstitute its site but during war 14-18 the walls were completely demolished and the stones all were almost removed.
In 1916, German germanisent Colombey in Taubenhof but one had so much written in this connection after 1870, which it seemed impossible to accustom of the even German spirits to put up with “the battle of Taubenhof”. It was thus to decide, in 1917, that exceptionally Colombey would remain Colombey .
Side of the farms, the too high expenses of the culture of cereals, the needs for the area from the dairy point of view, made that the farmer evolved still more to the breeding and the production of milk. In 1925 took place, with Courcelles-on-Nied, a big competition of the magpie-black race where were distinguished the Burgundian one from Aubigny and Schmitt of Colombey .
During the world war a good number of prisoners of war fled of the camps of Germany to regain France. On the way, they needed help. There were at least two relays in the canton where one lent hand-strong to the escaped prisoners. One of both was at Justin and Jean Schmitt with the farm of Colombey which was a crossing of several dies of escape. They there were supplied, one equipped them as a civilian and one directed them on Old people's home-St-Nicolas to Metz. Famous Sœur Helene undertook to make them pass the border. Of another time, the farmers of Colombey led them themselves in the station-wagon until Fleury or Marly-with-Wood from where they gained Nomeny and then Nancy.
For one half-century, the exploitation of the field has been much quieter. Some German cars however pass regularly to Colombey but only to maintain the monuments. Circulating on the battle field, there is the doubly tightened heart. Initially with the sight of war memorials, besieged by time and the undergrowth (certain French tombs were transferred to Metz, with the cemetery of Chambière). But also, because one does not see almost any more the city for which the soldiers fallen fought, hidden here who it is behind the screen of the concrete turns and the factories of Borny.