Abbécourt () is a commune in the

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374. Geography The department borders No ...

department in the

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...

region of northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

The commune is located some 3 kilometres south-west of the city of

Chauny Chauny () is a Communes of France, commune in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History There has been a settlement on the site, more or less continuously, since at least the Carolingian era. Kno ...

and is part of the Canton of Chauny. Access to the commune is by the D1032 road that links

Noyon Noyon (; ; , Noviomagus of the Viromandui, Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, Northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, about northeast of Paris. The ...

to Saint-Quentin passing through the north of the commune but not through the village. The village is connected to the D1032 by the D437 which branches from the D7 north of the commune and goes south to the village then continues to Manicamp as the D922. The D338 comes from Chauny and joins the D1032 in the commune.Google Maps
/ref> The commune is traversed by the railway line from

Creil Creil () is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, northern France. The Creil station is an important railway junction. History Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site as well as a late ...

to Jeumont. The nearest railway station serving the town is that of

but previously there was a station serving the commune from TAC (Transport Agglomération Chaunoise).

Delimitation and hydrography

The commune lies in the

Drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

river and is, in large part, delimited by rivers. To the west, it is delimited by the Vigny stream; to the east, by the Ru de Pontoise, and to the south the

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

river. Other rivers that run through the commune are the Brouage and the

Canal latéral à l'Oise Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

. The Canal de l'Oise a l'Aisne starts in the commune going south-east at right-angles from the Canal latéral.

Geology and terrain

Abbécourt is located in the Paris Basin. Most of the commune's subsoil dates from the

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...

, when the Paris basin was covered with seawater. The altitude of the municipality varies from 38 metres to 64 metres, with an average of 45 metres of altitude. The seismic risk is very low.

Climate

Abbécourt like all of Picardy is subject to an oceanic climate gradient. The climate survey is similar to that of Saint-Quentin, which is located 29.2 kilometres north in a straight line.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The name of the area was attested in the form of ''Abecurt'' in 1151. This spelling is a form of "-court" characteristic of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and the north of France. The word ''court'' (''curt'' or ''cort'' in old French) once meant "barnyard, farm, or rural area" (parallel to the German word ''hof'' cf. German. Hof "farm yard"). It is derived from the Low Latin ''cōrtem'',

Albert Dauzat Albert Dauzat (; 4 July 1877 – 31 October 1955) was a French linguist specializing in toponymy and onomastics Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethony ...

and

Charles Rostaing Charles Rostaing (; 9 October 1904 – 24 April 1999) was a French linguist who specialised in toponymy.Obit ...

, ''Op. cit.'' or the Gallo-Roman ''CURTE'', derived from the classical Latin ''cohors'' or ''cohortis''. The word "cour" from which it derives, has a different spelling by analogy with the Latin ''curia''. The "-court" suffix is usually preceded by a Germanic personal name under the old French "case regime", but here this is not the case as evidenced by the old forms: "abbé-" is based on the low Latin abbas meaning "priest", which gives an overall meaning of "priest's rural area". Abbécourt should not be confused with Abbecourt (or "Abbatis curtis" in 1224).

History

Origin

The commune developed from the Abbey Saint-Médard de Soissons, which also gave its name to a farm located within the commune. The earliest historical mentions of Abbécourt date back to the 9th century.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the commune was a lordship with its own castle and lords. In 1265 a hogshead of wheat was levied annually on the mill and the lordship by the monks of the Abbey of Genlis. This Abbey currently stands at Villequier-Aumont. In 1405 the lordship was purchased by the Lord of Genlis, Jean de Hangest. In 1457, the region experienced a period of pestilence and in 1471, a period of famine.

Modern Age

In 1579 the lord of Crosne, Pierre Brulard, purchased the land of Abbécourt from the Lord of Genlis. In 1581, a land register of Abbécourt was drawn up by letters patent granted by the King and the Secretary of State. During the period of the

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...

, the village was pillaged by the Spanish during the siege of Chauny in 1652. Abbécourt was again attached to the

marquisate A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

of Genlis in 1645, but separated once again in 1685 when it came under the abbey of Saint-Medard until 1736. It then finally was returned to the marquisate of Genlis until the French Revolution. In 1774 the marquisate became the Duchy of Villequier-Aumont. On the eve of the revolution, the actual commune was under the administration of

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

under the bailiwick of

. The Abbécourt parish was attached to the bishopric of

Contemporary period

With the Revolution, Abbécourt became an independent commune within the district of Chauny and the canton of the same name. During the

Six Days' Campaign The Six Days Campaign (10–15 February 1814) was a final series of victories by the forces of Napoleon I of France as the Sixth Coalition closed in on Paris. The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 February to 15 February during which time Na ...

in 1814, the Prussian General

Bülow Bülow or Bulow is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bülow family, a noble family from Germany with the surname "#Von Bülow, von Bülow" * Bülow (singer) (Megan Bülow, born 1999), German-Canadian singer * Alexander Bülow ...

's troops crossed the commune, pillaging the houses, to counter the offensive movements of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. In 1870, during the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, the village was under German occupation. Early in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, beginning on 1 September 1914, Abbécourt found itself once again occupied by German forces, who put in place a new municipal administrator and mayor. Facing an advancing British army, the German forces destroyed the village on 19 March 1917 during their retreat toward the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...

. In the March 1918 German offensive, Abbécourt was again occupied on 24 March 1918. The village was finally liberated on 6 September 1918. Following the war, through an order issued on 17 October 1920, the commune of Abbécourt received the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

Administration

Municipal administration

Following the 2008 municipal elections, the Abbécourt council consisted of 11 councilors, including the mayor of the commune. This number of councillors was defined by the results of the census of 1999 when the town had 447 inhabitants. The outgoing mayor, René Paris, was re-elected after these elections. List of Successive Mayors

Judicial and administrative proceedings

For the judiciary, Abbécourt is attached to various judicial grades. For commerce, the town depends on the Commercial Court of Saint-Quentin. Abbécourt is part of the zone for children's courts of first and second instance of

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

with appeals referred to the tribunal of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

. In the administrative area, Abbécourt is attached to the court in Amiens but administrative appeals take place in the court at

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

. The Administrative Appeals Court, on which the town depends, is that at Laon. For administration, the commune is integrated into the canton of Chauny and the arrondissement of Laon. It belongs with 47 other communes to the

communauté d'agglomération Chauny Tergnier La Fère Communauté d'agglomération Chauny Tergnier La Fère is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunal structure, centred on the Communes of France, towns of Chauny, Tergnier and La Fère. It is located ...

Population

The inhabitants of Abbécourt are called ''Abbecourtois'' or ''Abbecourtoises'' in French.

Distribution of age groups

Percentage distribution of age groups in Abbécourt and Aisne Department in 2017 Sources: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Abbécourt (02001)
/ref>

Local life

Education

There is a public elementary school in the commune. The school had 34 students for the 2011-2012 school year according to the website of the Ministry of Education. For secondary education, the students from Abbécourt mainly go to colleges and high schools in

. They have the opportunity to move to public or private institutions. The only private school in Chauny is the ''Saint Charles College''. For public schools, there are two colleges and two high schools. For studying in vocational schools, students may choose either the ''Gay Lussac'' professional school or ''Saint Charles'' private professional school. There is also a private agricultural high school called ''Robert Schumann'' in Chauny.

Health

For medical care, there is no service in the commune but the proximity to the city of

, which is 5.5 km from Abbécourt, allows Abbécourtois to consult specialists and doctors, and to go to the pharmacy. There is also a hospital in Chauny.

Festival days

The communal festival is held on the 4th Sunday in June. This is due to the proximity on 24 June, which is the day of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of the church in the commune. A flea market is also held every 1st Sunday in October.

Worship

Catholic worship is present in Abbécourt at the Church of St. John the Baptist. This church at Abbécourt belongs to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Soissons The Diocese of Soissons, Laon, and Saint-Quentin (Latin: ''Dioecesis Suessionensis, Laudunensis et Sanquintinensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Soissons, Laon et Saint-Quentin'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The dioc ...

, Laon and Saint Quentin which is a subdivision of the

Archdiocese of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims or Rheims (; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by Sixtus of Reims, the diocese was elevated to a ...

. The commune church is part of the parish of Saint-Momble in Chaunois.

Economy

Businesses and commerce

Industries in the territory of the municipality: * Carpentry * Metallurgy * Locksmith * electrician * tiler * mechanic * the small shops in the area have disappeared

Sites and monuments

* The Church of St. John the Baptist: It was rebuilt after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

but it still retains some old parts of the building * Memorials to the dead from the wars of 1870-1871, 1914-1918, and 1939-1945 * A bath house * A canal bridge built under