Le Parcq () is a commune in the

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...

region of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

Le Parcq lies about 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the N39 road, in the valley of the

Ternoise The river Ternoise (; nl, Ternaas) is one of the small chalk streams that flow from the plateau of the southern Boulonnais and Picardy, via the Canche, into the English Channel. The basin of the Ternoise extends to and lies in the southern end ...

river.

Administration

On 1 January 2007, Le Parcq became part of the

arrondissement of Montreuil The arrondissement of Montreuil is an arrondissement of France in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region. It has 164 communes. Its population is 112,118 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondisseme ...

, with the other communes of the then canton of Le Parcq. Previously, Le Parcq was in the

arrondissement of Arras The arrondissement of Arras is an arrondissement of France in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region. It has 357 communes. Its population is 248,929 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement o ...

.Commune du Parcq (62647)
INSEE At the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015, the canton of Le Parcq was disbanded and its communes became part of the canton of Auxi-le-Château.Décret n° 2014-233 du 24 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département du Pas-de-Calais
/ref>

Population

History

The establishment of Le Parcq dates from the founding of a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

(on the south border of the village to

Vieil-Hesdin Vieil-Hesdin (Eng: Old-Hesdin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Vieil-Hesdin is situated 6 kilometres southeast of Hesdin, on the banks of the river Canche on the D 340 highway. Hist ...

) by Baldwin I of Constantinople or Baudouin IX,

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

in about 1208. It was a wooden enclosure surrounded by walls within which wild animals were placed in large numbers. In 1329,

portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

es were installed at all the gates of the castle. Unfortunately, in 1335,

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

destroyed the castle just before the start of the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

. This destruction was continued in 1337 by Charles III of Navarre who brought down the walls. In 1395,

Philip II of Burgundy Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and '' jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg. Philip II was ...

restored the castle walls. Several people were employed daily to feed the animals in the park which also had a vast

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

centre and two fishing lakes. The park totalled 940

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s with a perimeter of approximately 8 miles (13 km), opening onto the outside world by many gates. After the destruction of

in) 1553 by Charles V, the park was, at the initiative of Philippe V of France, made the parkland available to those displaced by the fall of the old town, who wished to build new homes on the parkland. To attract more people, tax benefits were given, on February 25, 1586 to all those moving into the area. Thus, the park became a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

, originally known as Parc-lès-Hesdin. The municipality was formally recognized in 1670 and on February 8, 1816, Le Parcq also became

chef-lieu An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lux ...

of the canton by royal decree.

Places of interest

* The Château d'Estruval * The sixteenth century church of St.Nicholas. * Notre Dame de Bon Secours chapel dating from 1871 * Notre Dame du Chêne chapel. * Château of

dating from the eleventh century.

Geography

Administration

Population

History

Places of interest

See also