Hangard () is a commune 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), ...

department in

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. ...

in 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 ...

. 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 (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...

, and is at an elevation of about .

Population

Census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

records show that at the French Revolution 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 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 ...

. 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 f ...

, 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, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also 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. Historically, flint was widely used 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 Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

once stood nearby but has now disappeared into the

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

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 a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

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

ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

ed during the

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

. 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 Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (c. 595–655), bishop of R ...

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 on 25 April 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 branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

s under

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

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 WarI. The battle of Hangard Wood was part of the German offensive Operation Michael, in the Arras– Saint-Quentin– ...

. On 28 March 1918 the evacuation of the village was 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 municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

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

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

(

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

) 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.