Maurage

Maurage (in Walloon Môradje ) is a section of the Belgian city of Louvière, located in Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut.

It was a common to whole share before the fusion of the communes of 1977.

Geography

Situation

Maurage is a small commune of the Province of Hainaut, Located at 12 km of Mons, 16 km of Soignies and 6 km of Rœulx, In the area of the Center, i.e. in the carboniferous region bordered in the East by the basin of Charleroi and in the west by the area of Mons. Maurage has a surface of 609 ha and fact part of the administrative district of Soignies, legal district of Mons and canton of justice of Rœulx. The village is limited by the communes of Thieu, Strépy-Bracquegnies, Trivières, Havré and Boussoit.

Extended

Maurage has an total surface area of 609 ha including/understanding:

160 ha of industrial grounds and spoil heaps of coal mining. 190 ha of grounds of culture. 184 ha of pastures. 1 ha of orchards

Relief

Maurage is in the valley of the Haine; it is what explains the formation of two slopes north and south of the valley which, are prolonged by plates relatively low, that of north a little more being accentuated than that of the south. The center of the village which Hatred sprinkles is a depression formerly often flooded by the overflows of the river. (Bed of the river not being deep enough). To cure these floods, the minor bed of Hatred was dug more in-depth by a group of men. At certain places, the banks of Hatred were constantly marshy.

Geology

In general, Maurage has a clay soil. But it is however necessary to distinguish:

the argilo-calcareous grounds which tend to become marshy in consequence of the depressions which had with mining work.
more calcareous grounds in north where the meadows dominate.
clay-sand and especially argillaceous grounds, in the south favorable to agriculture.
the alluvial Grounds on banks of Hatred.

1. Carboniferous · In north: Sleep coal with coke (coke comes from the distillation of the Houille; here, distillation of the bituminous coal.) of East-West direction. · Towards the south: semi-bituminous coal layer, with a regular slope towards the south. · In the south: bituminous coal layer. 2. Calcareous basement The cretaceous fills a kind of basin Synclinal E and this west-east basin is encased in the synclinal primary education containing the ground Houiller. In this place, there was thus a movement of depression of the primary education base, accompanied by grounds of origin marinades at the time of the Crétacé. This calcareous basement allowed the installation of lime kilns, now disappeared. Lime is used for the release of the gas Ammoniac, for the preparation of chlorides of lime and of the Carbure of calcium. It is also used on large scales for manufacture as mortars, disinfection, the bleaching of the walls. It constitutes, because of its price relatively low, the current base industriele. 3. Sand white and sands yellow These sands were appropriate perfectly for constructions. Formerly, these sands were transported to back of " donkeys " in the close villages: Strépy-Bracquegnies, Bray, Boussoit, until Soignies and Braine-the-Count. Today, these careers disappeared.

Maurage is at an average altitude of 58 m 29 compared to the 0 of Ostend with a minimum of 55 m and a maximum of 84 m 85.

Climate

Climate of Maurage = Climate of the Belgium

Belgium is located in a zone moderated at oceanic moderate climate. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean that the Atlantic northern drift of tepid water of the Gulf Stream and the easy propagation of the Atlantic winds traverse are responsible for the softness of our climate. Strong nebulosity and great number of rainy days express the maritime character of the climate of Belgium.

Vegetation

The vegetation is closely related to the nature of the ground and the basement.

sandy Grounds: Heather, Prêles, Blite S, Euphorbium S.
argillaceous Grounds: Buttercup S, Rumex, Cardamine, Cardère S.
marshy Grounds: Reeds with brushes, Snap ring S, Arums mottled S, cress.

medicinal plants.

They are rather abundant and in general find their places of predilection in the vicinity of the river and in wet areas. Species: Mint, Centaury jacée, Thyme, Origan, Spirée, Tanaisie, Vervain, Camomile, Pyrèthre, Queen-of-meadows, Achillée, Sedum, white Bubble, Clover of water.

wood.

Maurage has only one wood: that of Garenne. This wood is favourable with hunting. it is planted of Hêtre S, of Chêne S, Bouleau X, Charme S, Marronnier S, which connect of many coppices and undergrowth of brambles and nettles.

Hatred

Hatred is the only river which crosses Maurage. It passes beside the communal place. Hatred, nonnavigable river, run of is in west through the commune, dividing it into two portions of unequal surfaces.

At certain places, encavassions them of its banks and its stony bed shows that, formerly, its course was very fast. This course underwent broad corrections during the year 1948. In 1954, one dug a new bed with Hatred in order to avoid the so frequent floods with Maurage and its surroundings. Formerly, it was full of fish but since the appearance of the Charbonnage S, dirty water coming from the latter there one removed any aquatic life because of the water pollution.

History of Hatred

Hatred takes its source with the altitude of 179 m on the territory of Anderlues and is thrown in the the Scheldt in Condé with the altitude of 16 m undergoing a unevenness of 153 m on a course of approximately 40 km. Its total course is of 64 km and its kilometric slope is of 40Km approximately. Its normal medium flow is of 2400 M ³ a second but is tiny room to less than 1 m ³ in times of dryness. Its depth is of approximately 80 cm Its width is of approximately 8 m 20. Its sinuous course through the long plains constituting the " Talweg " of its valley was the seat many overflows giving rise to marshes. A marsh of more than 50 ha was formed in edge of its bed. It was drained.

Etymology

The name of Maurage finds its origin in the Germanic name marithja sigifiant marsh, ground with the ponds . It derives from tudesque (Germanic language of the 7th century) " Marash or Moeras " who means " marsh " , muddy ground. Bottom Latin Maregium (868) and the Romance forms Marages (1186) and Marège (1231) successively indicated this place. Here of other designations: Maraige in 1265 Maraiges in 1369 Marages in 1372 Mairage in 1425 Mauraige in 1433 Finally Maurage in 1787.

History

The presence of the man already appears to continue in this area with the neolithic age.
Indeed, one found vestiges of weapons and tools of this time in the villages close to Maurage: Bracquegnies, Houdeng, Casteau, Thieu, Strépy.
The Belgians of before Jules César succeeded then their ancestors of the age of the stone. Some historians fix their arrival in this part of Hainaut at 14 or 15 century before Jesus-Christ. One found in Bray, a furnace bridge of important size. Tumulus still exist in Houdeng and Bracquegnies. The village itself goes back to very moved back times. One starts to speak about him about the 7th century when Saint Vincent (which was born in Strépy) gave it to the Abbaye of Hautmont. This monastery had there fields, revenues, warpings and seigniories foncières.
At the 9th century, Maurage belonged to the possessions of the Abbaye of Lobbes. Robert, count de Flandre, devastated this locality in 1072 after his victory over Hennuyers with Gottignies. It essuya similar disaster in 1185 by the fact of the Brabançons and the troops of Philippe, archbishop of Cologne, thus qu “in 1554, when the troops of Henri II, king de France, set fire to the city and the castle of Rœulx.
A noble family bore the name of Maurage, the known first is Hermann de Maurage (Mauraigne) it appears in a charter of the year 1119. Another of the name of Simon de Maurage appears in an act of 1167 in the cartulaire of the abbey of St Feuillien. They were with the passing of years, baillif de Hal, provost of Maubeuge, sgr of Hervinsart, baillif of St Ghislain, Gerard, Jean and Jeanne de Maurage in 1420 was knights about St Antoine in Barbefosse. They all were with the service of the counts de Hainaut.
the family fell out of stopper rod in 1434 by the marriage from Isabeau with Jean de Fenmaing.

The Malapert family had a seigniory in the village of Maurage which was in 1186 a parish of the décanat of Binche, which was controlled since 1182 by Baudouin V. Under the old mode, Maurage belonged to the baillage of Rœulx.
At the 13th century, the counts de Hainaut raised there rights and the inhabitants owed them the military service in times of guerre.
Philippe of the Bar, lord of Maurage and Quevaucamps, born in 1585, died in 1655.

Native personalities of the locality

Victor Maistriau (1870-1961), minister and burgomaster of Mons

Economy

External bonds

Site of the commune of Louvière
Site of the village of Maurage
an important dialectal auteure and of French language Monique Dussaussois

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