Hangard () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

department in

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''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. The ...

in northern

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 ...

. The commune is centered on Hangard village.

Gallery

File:Hangard.JPG, saint-Martin Hangard File:Map commune FR insee code 80414.png, Map of the commune

Geography

Hangard is on the D76 road, some southeast of

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

, and is at an elevation of about .

Population

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

records show that at the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

the village had 244 inhabitants, but by 1846 this had risen to 345 after which the population began to decline until it was 172 just prior to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The village was destroyed in the

second battle of Villers-Bretonneux The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (also Actions of Villers-Bretonneux, after the First Battles of the Somme, 1918) took place from 24 to 27 April 1918, during the German spring offensive to the east of Amiens. It is notable for being the ...

, and thereafter has maintained a population of about 100.

History

The name comes from a personal name "Hano" and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ic "Gardo" and means ‘Hano’s garden’.
In 1135 the name was spelt ‘Hangardum’.

Neolithic

Stone-age tools of

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start ...

, in the shape of blades, arrows and axes have been found in the area. The excavations made in 1890 revealed weapons of worked stones were found near the village, including carved polished flint stones, each shaped knife, scraper and other axe-shaped. A

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...

once stood nearby but has now disappeared into the

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found ...

y land. During World War I, on 28 March 1918, the village was evacuated. By April 1918 the village had been totally destroyed.

Middle Ages

In the 12th century, the Lord of Hangard was Foulques Lehardi, a valiant

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, known for his strength and his bravery in many battles, in the crusades. He was however, wounded, captured and

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...

ed during the

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

. In 1362, the village is mentioned in a census as the stronghold of Madam Jehanne of Rivery. A number of other lords of the village are known, including: *Bernard of Hangard 1146; *Jehan de Hangard 1219; *Henri Hangard 1248; *Drieu of Hangard 1337; *Jean de Hangard 1350; *Jean de Hangard 1380; *Gilles de Hangard 1437; *Jacques de Hangard 1473. * Pierre-François of Incourt Lord of Hangard (c.1725 - 1760)

Religion

The village church is dedicated to Saint Martin and was built in 1523. Under the Bell Tower is the tombstone of Frucourt, wife of Jacques de Roye, the Lord of Hangard Claire. She died April 25, 1523, and it is considered that she commissioned the Church. In 1612, the peel of two bells was installed and four new bells in 1786. An additional Bell was installed in 1839. Between 1670 and 1690, a number of inhabitants moved to Neunkirchen, Germany due to the persecution of

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

s under

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

World War I

During the

the village was caught up in the

. A specific action at the village was called the battle of

Hangard Wood Hangard Wood is a locality south of Villers-Bretonneux northern France. It was the site of Hangard village and a battle in World War I. The battle of Hangard Wood was part of the German offensive Operation Michael, in the Arras - St-Quentin-La ...

. On March 28, 1918, the evacuation of the village is organized by Mr. Farcy teacher and Secretary of the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

of Hangard. Only Timothée Gaby remained with his wife until March 31. On 24 April, there is fierce fighting in the streets, the village was utterly destroyed. Latter a gift from the city of

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

(

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

) will allow the rebuilding of the village. 1st Moroccan Infantry Division (France), A Moroccan unit was involved in the battle. By July the municipality has housed 102 000 men, 3 000 officers, 40 000 horses.