Abancourt, Oise

The area was mentioned as Abencourt in 1146, Abencurtis in 1148, Abencurt in 1150 and 1152, Habencourt in 1180, Abencourt in 1337, 1454, and in the 16th century.

One Jean and one Adrien d'Abancourt were alternately lords of Abancourt at the beginning of the 15th century.

Ceramic tiles and amphoras from Abancourt's Roman period are displayed in the Beauvais museum. These were found near a hamlet on the mountain and it is assumed that there must have been a Roman camp or installation at one time. Fine red pottery, stepped and curved roof tiles nearly 50 centimetres across have been found.

On Abancourt's ancient Roman road lies a linden tree 6 metres in circumference, which was possibly the marker of a military border or a Celtic monument.[10]

Abancourt Military Prison 1917

Abancourt Military Prison 1917

Abancourt appears as Abancourt on the 1750 Cassini Map[11] and the same on the 1790 version.[12]

The village was renamed Abancourt-la-Montagne after the French Revolution.[13] Between 1791 and 1823, the commune was reattached to Romescamps. In 1823 Abancourt was newly created as a commune from Blargies with Hennicourt added to it.[14]

In 1867 the railway came to Abancourt with the construction of Abancourt Station on the Rouen to Amiens line. It was connected directly to Le Tréport and Paris in 1873–1875.

In the First World War the main British supply ports of Le Havre and the inland port of Rouen had restricted hinterlands. It was necessary to find a location where the daily supplies, to maintain 1.3 million troops, could be marshalled and distributed. Abancourt, the junction of several key railway lines to the coast and the Somme, was chosen. Supply trains from Le Havre and Rouen disgorged their content into vast warehouses in the Abancourt complex along 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) of track. The warehouses contained enough non-perishable stores to last at least one month and dispatched twenty-two supply trains a day to the next distribution station. Today there is no obvious trace of this vast complex of warehouses and sidings.[15]

In the First World War, the British Army had a prison at Abancourt. In August 1916 a serious mutiny broke out in the prison, for which seven ring-leaders were prosecuted and at least two put to death on 29 October 1916: British Gunner Lewis, aged 30, shot at Rouen,[16] and New Zealand Private John (Jack) Braithwaite, 35 years old, shot at the prison.[17]

See

Abancourt is a member of the Community of communes of Picardie Vert,[19] which comprises the communes of Formerie, Grandvilliers, Marseille-en-Beauvaisis, and Songeons.

The commune is part of "Greater Beauvaisis", one of the sixteen constituent departments of the "Region of Hauts-de-France".

The commune participates in three inter-communal groups:

• The electrification SIVOM (syndicat intercommunal à vocations multiples; English: intercommunal syndicate of multiple vocations) of Formerie.
• The water syndicate of Blargies.
• The inter-communal syndicate of school boards of Abancourt, Blargies, and Boutavent.

The principal 2006 municipal budget allocated 298,000 euros to investment and 217,000 euros to services.[20]

In 2010, the poll tax (TH) collected by the commune was 3.40%, the property tax on developed properties was 22.29%, the property tax on vacant land was 21.71%, and the business tax (TP) was 11.93%.[21]

In 2017, 69.4% of the commune's residents were owners of their places of residence and 28.3% were tenants.[22]

Data for 2017. Source: INSEE[24][26]

The commune has two schools – an elementary school at Abancourt and a primary school at Hennicourt.[29]

In 2008, the town also had a bar/tobacconist, a bakery and a grocery store, located on the Main Street.

At the railway station there is a hotel, restaurant and a bar/tobacconist.

A hall is also available for hire.