Querrieu
Encyclopedia
Querrieu is a commune
in the Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France
.
, on the banks of the Hallue river. It is bordered by Fréchencourt
on the north, Pont-Noyelles
on the east, Bussy-lès-Daours
on the south and Allonville
on the west.
was invaded and taken by Spanish Netherlanders
on 11 March 1597, Henri IV
besieged the town with a considerable army. On 29 August he was notified of the approach of a significant Spanish force (four companies of arquebuse-men
and 300 mounted soldiers), protecting a supplies convoy. The King sallied from his camp north of Amiens, accompanied by Biron, de Lagrange-Montigny, the count of Auvergne, and headed toward the enemy train. Leading an escort of 50 soldiers, he spotted Spanish scouts emerging from the Querrieu forest. He charged them at full gallop, with his escorts close behind. The startled Spanish group assumed they were being attacked by a large force, and beat a hasty retreat. The King pursued his adversaries, who abandoned two sous-lieutenants, 200 horsemen and numerous prisoners.
, the town and fortress of Amiens were occupied by the Prussian Army
in November 1870. On 16 December the French Northern Army, led by General Faidherbe
, took a position on the hills bordering the left side of the river Hallue.
took command of the Prussian Army on 20 December, and that same day launched a troop
and a battalion, about two thousand men, toward Querrieu. On the eastern skirts of the wood, two kilometres in front of the village, they encountered French outposts and engaged in battle. Three companies of French Line infantry, coming from Bussy-lès-Daours, counter-attacked the right flank of the Prussian force, which retreated to Amiens. In this confrontation the Prussian losses were 3 officers and 69 men killed or wounded; the French losses were 7 killed and 20 wounded.
, along a line of twelve kilometres from Contay
to Daours
, on a snow-covered earth in an icy temperature, worsened by a northern wind. By midmorning the Prussians had possession of the wood and the village of Querrieu. Prussian field batteries on the heights of the village along the main road, fired on French positions at Pont-Noyelles
. The French guns responded, and several shells hit houses in Querrieu.
In the afternoon, forty-two Prussian guns are in battery between Querrieu and Bussy-lès-Daours. At about 3:30 p.m. the Prussians launch a mass attack. They make headway into Pont-Noyelles but are stopped at the eastern border of the village. A counter-attack push them back into Querrieu vhere they establish their bivouac for the night. During this night, the French Northern Army start off a movement towards Albert
and Bapaume
.
In the communal cemetery of Querrieu, mortal remains of French and Prussian soldiers were gathered in two collective graves.
, was set up in the castle of Querrieu. On 1 July 1916
, General Haig
, commander of the British Forces in France, is poised to attack. After a heavy artillery barrage the British troops advance from their trenches toward the German line. However, the barrage failed to destroy the distant German artillery, which then opened return fire on the advancing troops. Thus began the British infantry's most murderous battle of the war.
During that summer several notables came through the area, including General Foch
, and Lord Balfour
, British Prime minister. On 10 August the entire Headquarters staff gathered around British King George V
, who presented decorations to French Generals Fayolle and Balfourier. The Sovereign was accompanied by his son, the young Prince of Wales
, future king Edward VIII, then Duke of Windsor
after less than a year of reign.
On 21 March 1918, the German launched a major offensive
along the Western Front
. After a few days, their advance began to falter. Fresh British and Australian units were moved to the vital rail center of Amiens
. Numerous British units were stationed in and around Querrieu, in a military concentration area. On 31 May
On May 31, General John Monash
assumed command of the Australian Corps
and set his Headquarters in the castle of Saint-Gratien
, four kilometres north of Querrieu.
(Collection of one hundred and four (104) photographs from Australian units billetted on Querrieu available on : Official History of Australia in the war 1914–1918, volume XII.)
In May 1918, in the lower part of the village, the living space of a brewery
near the Hallue river was occupied by several Australian war correspondent
s, among them Charles W. W. Bean
, who would write the "Official History of Australia in the war 1914–1918". Outbuildings on the grounds were occupied by a company of the 21st Australian infantry battalion, who take the name of "Querrieu brewery company". One of the war correspondents (C. W. W. Bean himself ?) described the events taking place during a day for all men of the company. (Full text in : Official History of Australia in the war 1914–1918, volume VI, chapter I, pp. 8-18)
On 4 July General Monash launched a combined attack of artillery, tanks, infantry and air forces toward Le Hamel
, a position overlooking the German forces in Villers-Bretonneux
. The 21st battalion gained possession of three German trenches. During this attack, the Querrieu brewery company formed the left wing of the battalion.
On 20 July, in front of the castle of Querrieu, General Monash awarded commendations and medals to the 4th infantry Division which distinguished itself during the battle of Le Hamel, with the loss of 24 officers and 240 men.
A British siege battery, set north of the village, launched a barrage on the German positions of Villers-Bretonneux. The German artillery responded, destroying houses and farms, and severely damaged the church.
On 27 March 1918, the 2nd Australian Tunneling Company was billeted at Querrieu. One of its first actions was the creation of a cemetery, in which eight of its men will be buried from 9 April to 13 June. This cemetery was closed in August; 103 Australian and British soldiers are buried there.
course is situated on the south of Querrieu wood. It opened as a nine-hole course, and is at present an eighteen-hole course of 6114 metres. The large clubhouse serves the large membership (590 at present) and course players.
is on the right bank of the Hallue river. It has been mentioned in extant documents dating from the thirteenth century, charter
s regulating relations between seigniories
for its use, rents and obligations.
In 1792
, "le moulin à bled tournant et travaillant" is hired for 2000 livres per year by the "ci-devant" seignior, but the miller abandoned the lease after three years, citing difficult competition from three wind-mills
which had been recently erected in the village.
The mill house, built of bricks and tile covered, contains the mill machinery. The river water course is elevated to have sufficient energy for the undershot wheel moving inside a diversion dam beside the river's natural course. Sluice
gates control water levels.
The machinery
is made of wood.
The waterwheel, with 28 paddles, is mounted on a 40cm-diameter axle. Motion of the waterwheel is transferred to the runner stone, which is made to rotate faster than the waterwheel. There are two mill stones
, the bed stone at the bottom and the runner stone. The iron-bound bed stone is formed of seven pieces of sandstone
. The iron-bound runner stone is formed of nine pieces of sandstone with a hole in its center in which the grain can run off from a bin on the upper floor of the mill-house.
The grain is crushed between the two stones; flour and bran are collected in a peripheral bin and fall into a bolting reel to be separated. Eventually the bran is crushed to obtain a second quality flour.
Near the end of the nineteenth century the wooden components were replaced by pieces fabricated from iron. Milling operations ceased in 1914; after that the machinery was utilized as a sawmill
until 1940.
named "La Sucrerie" was established. Its location was selected due to the intersecting roads (from nearby beet farms) and a nearby water source. Harvested beets are hauled to the factory after they have been weighed and analyzed for suger content.
In 1876, the production was of : 800 metric tons of sugar, 500 metric tons of pulp and 400 metric tons of molasse.
In addition to these difficulties, competiting with some more important factories using new production tecnics and having better profit earning, the Company falls in bankruptcy in September 1883.
Recovered by a shareholder, the factory goes on working until 1890, before its end of all activity.
invention, stocking frame spread out in Amiens with high quality wools prescribed by the local weaver guild.
To get round the rule and obtain lower cost produce, a family of stocking makers (faiseurs de bas au métier) settled down in Querrieu about the middle of the 18th century, the wool coming from local sheep-farming, carding and spinning being carried out by craftsmen of the village.
The names of eleven stocking makers appear on the 1836 census.
workshops, making use of original English knitting machines Mule-jenny
invented by Samuel Crompton
, were operating in Querrieu.
In 1881, ninety-eight knitters (men and women) in workshops or at home, live in the village.
The last workshop opened in 1925, was running with machines driven by electrical engines; all activities ceased in 1950.
File:Mule-jenny.jpg|Mule-jenny used in French knitting workshops
invaders in the 10th century, a fortress was built on the right bank of the river Hallue, close to the gallo-Roman road Amiens-Bapaume. It was a dark and heavy building in thick walls of bricks, pierced of rare and narrow holes. Wide ditches and deep ponds defended approach of the fortress on which the access was only possible by a drawbridge
. The ground floor was in strong sandstone and heavy towers covered in dome, defended the fortified manor.
At the setting up of the seigniory in marquisate in 1653, the fortress was fit up in a seigniorial castle.
After the death of her husband in 1735, Anne-Françoise Perrin, dowager marquess, undertakes to change the fortress into a building pleasant to live in. The new castle consists in a main part formed by a ground-floor surmounted by a storey, enclosed by two turrets in fore-parts built over the subfoundations in sand stone of the two old towers, and prolonged by two pavilions on extremities. The new castle is preceded by a courtyard bordered by walls and bars. French style gardens
with a large basin are spreading on the rear.
After the death of Louis François de Gaudechart in 1832, his widow, Princess Clémentine Charlotte de Rohan-Rochefort, embellishes the castle and its surroundings. An extra storey and attics were added to the main part of the building, the whole crowded by a balustrade in white stone. The park surrounding the castle was extensively enlarged ; a new enclosure in stones and bricks was built and a large iron gate opening to the village. All these arrangements are subsisting nowadays.
Most parts of inside ornaments come from the nineteenth century, particularly panellings of the ground-floor rooms, and inlaid-work of parquetry.
During World War I, the castle was occupied by several British and Australian military High Quarters. After the murderous Bullecourt battle
, on April 11 and May 13, 1917, Sir William Ridell Birdwood
, commandant of the Australian Corps
on the West front, came to rest in the castle of Querrieu. He stood there until his promotion in command of the 5th British Army.
After the death, without lineage on April 17, 1878, of Raoul de Gaudechart last marquess of Querrieu, the castle became property of Marie-Thérèse de Gaudechart direct descendant of Robert de Gaudechart seignior of Querrieu, wife of the count Alvar d'Alcantara, of Belgian nobility.
In 1927, the name of Querrieu was added to those of d'Alcantara. Nowadays, the castle is still inhabited by the family d'Alcantara de Querrieu.
.
The choir
is bordered on each side by three columns without any capital and joined together by nibs of prismatic profile. Columns and walls sustain a frame hidden by a wooden ceiling. The apse
is opened by large bays of Gothic
style. The geminate central one represents Jesus
the Saviour IHS. From an ancient transept, only one of the two arms on the north side subsists, used as a strong bell tower, from which the walls are pierced with ogival bays. Thus, this part of the church may be dated of the fourteenth or the fifteenth century.
The altar
coming from the abbey of Saint-Acheul of Amiens, was bought in 1805. Altar, steps and tabernacle made of painted oak, form a harmonious whole.
A Beam of Glory, modest reduction of a rood screen
, was marking a separation between the choir and the nave
. Two holes in pillars sustaining the high ogival Triumpal arch, are nowadays the only memory of that beam.
All bays are fitted with coloured stained glass. Their tints are green and gold on the geminate bay of the apse and the large one over the portal, red and blue prevail on all the others.
The simple observation of the joining of the choir with the nave and the bell tower
, clearly marks the posteriority of the nave building. This construction without any architectural style is mainly characterised by its strength. Its eight pillars surmounted by heavy walls sustain the roof-tree by four beams and middle posts.
The octagonal base of the baptismal font
, the column and the vat are made of limestone and may be dated of the sixteenth century. The cap on neo-gothic style
, made of oak with sunken decorations, is dated of 1860.
The pulpit
was offered in 1709. The internal face of the roof is decorated with the Holy Ghost dove.
In 1921, a War Memorial
was erected in front of the Public place. Built in granit of Ardennes
on truncated pyramidal shape of four metres high, it is surmounted by a gilded cock.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Querrieu is situated on the D 929 road, some 7 miles (11 km) northeast of AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, on the banks of the Hallue river. It is bordered by Fréchencourt
Fréchencourt
Fréchencourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Population:-External links:*...
on the north, Pont-Noyelles
Pont-Noyelles
Pont-Noyelles is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated at the junction of the D929, D30 and D115 roads, some northeast of Amiens, in the valley of the small river Hallue.-Population:-History:...
on the east, Bussy-lès-Daours
Bussy-lès-Daours
Bussy-lès-Daours is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D1e road, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
on the south and Allonville
Allonville
Allonville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated north of Amiens at the D919 and D247 junction .-Population:-External links:* * *...
on the west.
Henri IV battle
After AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
was invaded and taken by Spanish Netherlanders
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
on 11 March 1597, Henri IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
besieged the town with a considerable army. On 29 August he was notified of the approach of a significant Spanish force (four companies of arquebuse-men
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
and 300 mounted soldiers), protecting a supplies convoy. The King sallied from his camp north of Amiens, accompanied by Biron, de Lagrange-Montigny, the count of Auvergne, and headed toward the enemy train. Leading an escort of 50 soldiers, he spotted Spanish scouts emerging from the Querrieu forest. He charged them at full gallop, with his escorts close behind. The startled Spanish group assumed they were being attacked by a large force, and beat a hasty retreat. The King pursued his adversaries, who abandoned two sous-lieutenants, 200 horsemen and numerous prisoners.
Franco-Prussian War 1870–1871
During the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, the town and fortress of Amiens were occupied by the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
in November 1870. On 16 December the French Northern Army, led by General Faidherbe
Louis Faidherbe
Louis Léon César Faidherbe was a French general and colonial administrator. He created the Senegalese Tirailleurs when he was governor of Senegal.- Background :...
, took a position on the hills bordering the left side of the river Hallue.
Skirmish on Querrieu
General ManteuffelEdwin Freiherr von Manteuffel
Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel was a German Generalfeldmarschall noted for his victories in the Franco-Prussian War....
took command of the Prussian Army on 20 December, and that same day launched a troop
Troop
A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...
and a battalion, about two thousand men, toward Querrieu. On the eastern skirts of the wood, two kilometres in front of the village, they encountered French outposts and engaged in battle. Three companies of French Line infantry, coming from Bussy-lès-Daours, counter-attacked the right flank of the Prussian force, which retreated to Amiens. In this confrontation the Prussian losses were 3 officers and 69 men killed or wounded; the French losses were 7 killed and 20 wounded.
Battle of Hallue
On 23 December 23 the Prussian General (Manteuffel) led an offensive toward the river HallueBattle of Hallue
The Battle of Hallue was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War on December 23 and 24, 1870.The battle was fought between 40,000 French under General Louis Faidherbe and 22,500 Prussian troops under Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel. The French lost heavily in the village lying in front of their position....
, along a line of twelve kilometres from Contay
Contay
Contay is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Contay is situated on the D23 and D919 crossroads, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
to Daours
Daours
Daours is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Daours is situated on the D1 road, on the banks of the river Somme, some east of Amiens.-Population:-External links:* * *...
, on a snow-covered earth in an icy temperature, worsened by a northern wind. By midmorning the Prussians had possession of the wood and the village of Querrieu. Prussian field batteries on the heights of the village along the main road, fired on French positions at Pont-Noyelles
Pont-Noyelles
Pont-Noyelles is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated at the junction of the D929, D30 and D115 roads, some northeast of Amiens, in the valley of the small river Hallue.-Population:-History:...
. The French guns responded, and several shells hit houses in Querrieu.
In the afternoon, forty-two Prussian guns are in battery between Querrieu and Bussy-lès-Daours. At about 3:30 p.m. the Prussians launch a mass attack. They make headway into Pont-Noyelles but are stopped at the eastern border of the village. A counter-attack push them back into Querrieu vhere they establish their bivouac for the night. During this night, the French Northern Army start off a movement towards Albert
Albert
Albert may refer to:* Albert , a family name * Albert * Albertet, an Occitan diminutive of AlbertFictional characters:* Albert , minor character in Dario Argento's 1977 film Suspiria...
and Bapaume
Bapaume
Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is...
.
In the communal cemetery of Querrieu, mortal remains of French and Prussian soldiers were gathered in two collective graves.
Battle of the Somme, 1916
In 1916, the Headquarters of the 4th British army, led by General RawlinsonHenry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson
General Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG , known as Sir Henry Rawlinson, Bt between 1895 and 1919, was a British First World War general most famous for his roles in the Battle of the Somme of 1916 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918.-Military career:Rawlinson was...
, was set up in the castle of Querrieu. On 1 July 1916
First day on the Somme
The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the Battle of Albert, which was the first phase of the British and French offensive that became known as the Battle of the Somme...
, General Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
, commander of the British Forces in France, is poised to attack. After a heavy artillery barrage the British troops advance from their trenches toward the German line. However, the barrage failed to destroy the distant German artillery, which then opened return fire on the advancing troops. Thus began the British infantry's most murderous battle of the war.
During that summer several notables came through the area, including General Foch
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...
, and Lord Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, British Prime minister. On 10 August the entire Headquarters staff gathered around British King George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
, who presented decorations to French Generals Fayolle and Balfourier. The Sovereign was accompanied by his son, the young Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, future king Edward VIII, then Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor
The title Duke of Windsor was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1937 for Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII, following his abdication in December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the Norman Conquest, is...
after less than a year of reign.
German offensive, Spring 1918
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
along the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. After a few days, their advance began to falter. Fresh British and Australian units were moved to the vital rail center of Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
. Numerous British units were stationed in and around Querrieu, in a military concentration area. On 31 May
On May 31, General John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
assumed command of the Australian Corps
Australian Corps
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire army in France...
and set his Headquarters in the castle of Saint-Gratien
Saint-Gratien
Saint-Gratien is the name or part of the name of three communes of France:*Saint-Gratien in the Somme département*Saint-Gratien in the Val-d'Oise département*Saint-Gratien-Savigny in the Nièvre département...
, four kilometres north of Querrieu.
(Collection of one hundred and four (104) photographs from Australian units billetted on Querrieu available on : Official History of Australia in the war 1914–1918, volume XII.)
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
near the Hallue river was occupied by several Australian war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
s, among them Charles W. W. Bean
Charles Bean
Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean , usually identified as C.E.W. Bean, was an Australian schoolmaster, judge's associate, barrister journalist, war correspondent and historian....
, who would write the "Official History of Australia in the war 1914–1918". Outbuildings on the grounds were occupied by a company of the 21st Australian infantry battalion, who take the name of "Querrieu brewery company". One of the war correspondents (C. W. W. Bean himself ?) described the events taking place during a day for all men of the company. (Full text in : Official History of Australia in the war 1914–1918, volume VI, chapter I, pp. 8-18)
On 4 July General Monash launched a combined attack of artillery, tanks, infantry and air forces toward Le Hamel
Le Hamel, Somme
Le Hamel is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Le Hamel is situated some east of Amiens in the valley of the Somme...
, a position overlooking the German forces in Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...
. The 21st battalion gained possession of three German trenches. During this attack, the Querrieu brewery company formed the left wing of the battalion.
On 20 July, in front of the castle of Querrieu, General Monash awarded commendations and medals to the 4th infantry Division which distinguished itself during the battle of Le Hamel, with the loss of 24 officers and 240 men.
A British siege battery, set north of the village, launched a barrage on the German positions of Villers-Bretonneux. The German artillery responded, destroying houses and farms, and severely damaged the church.
On 27 March 1918, the 2nd Australian Tunneling Company was billeted at Querrieu. One of its first actions was the creation of a cemetery, in which eight of its men will be buried from 9 April to 13 June. This cemetery was closed in August; 103 Australian and British soldiers are buried there.
Population
Golf
Owned by the Golf Club d'Amiens, the golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course is situated on the south of Querrieu wood. It opened as a nine-hole course, and is at present an eighteen-hole course of 6114 metres. The large clubhouse serves the large membership (590 at present) and course players.
From its origins to the Revolution
A seigniorial property, the flour millGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
is on the right bank of the Hallue river. It has been mentioned in extant documents dating from the thirteenth century, charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s regulating relations between seigniories
Seignory
In English law, Seignory or seigniory , the lordship remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple....
for its use, rents and obligations.
In 1792
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, "le moulin à bled tournant et travaillant" is hired for 2000 livres per year by the "ci-devant" seignior, but the miller abandoned the lease after three years, citing difficult competition from three wind-mills
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
which had been recently erected in the village.
The mill in 1812
By 1812 the mill was in disrepair. In that year the owner (the ci-devant seignior), encouraged by an agricultural renewal, made significant repairs.General view
The mill house, built of bricks and tile covered, contains the mill machinery. The river water course is elevated to have sufficient energy for the undershot wheel moving inside a diversion dam beside the river's natural course. Sluice
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
gates control water levels.
Mill machinery
The machinery
Mill machinery
This article covers the various major pieces of mill machinery to be found in windmills, watermills and horse mills. It does not cover machinery found in modern factories.-Watermill machinery:Axle...
is made of wood.
The waterwheel, with 28 paddles, is mounted on a 40cm-diameter axle. Motion of the waterwheel is transferred to the runner stone, which is made to rotate faster than the waterwheel. There are two mill stones
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
, the bed stone at the bottom and the runner stone. The iron-bound bed stone is formed of seven pieces of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. The iron-bound runner stone is formed of nine pieces of sandstone with a hole in its center in which the grain can run off from a bin on the upper floor of the mill-house.
The grain is crushed between the two stones; flour and bran are collected in a peripheral bin and fall into a bolting reel to be separated. Eventually the bran is crushed to obtain a second quality flour.
Near the end of the nineteenth century the wooden components were replaced by pieces fabricated from iron. Milling operations ceased in 1914; after that the machinery was utilized as a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
until 1940.
Sugar refinery
In April 1874, on the territory of Querrieu, a sugar beet refineryRefinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
named "La Sucrerie" was established. Its location was selected due to the intersecting roads (from nearby beet farms) and a nearby water source. Harvested beets are hauled to the factory after they have been weighed and analyzed for suger content.
Mechanical process
A 35CV steam-engine drove hoisting-gear, a washing machine, a shredding machine, and various pumps. After being washed the beets are shredded and spread on screens. The screens are pressed to extract the juice. The residue is the pulp.Chemical process
Some bone-black is introduced into the juice raised to the temperature of 80° Celsius, to eliminate the coloured substances. Some lime, produced in an oven settled close to the workshops, is added to neutralize the acids. Sulphuric acid is then added introduced to transform the lime excess in sulphates forming some outer-coating.Physical process
The syrup is passing through a condenser battery where the evaporation is activated by a cooling obtained by an important cold water flow. This condense battery evaporates 2500 hectolitres of juice per day. Granulated sugar obtained after evaporation is shaped into the moulds for its commercialization.In 1876, the production was of : 800 metric tons of sugar, 500 metric tons of pulp and 400 metric tons of molasse.
Staff
A hamlet was created close to the factory : a cottage for the manager, eight houses for a foreman, a supervisor, a book keeper, three firemen, a mason and four workers. The seasonal workers may board in an inn, near the hamlet.Activity cessation
Far away from any railway or waterway and having to cope with municipality protestations for damages on their roads involved by the heavy waggons during the rainy season, the factory is unable to develop any extension.In addition to these difficulties, competiting with some more important factories using new production tecnics and having better profit earning, the Company falls in bankruptcy in September 1883.
Recovered by a shareholder, the factory goes on working until 1890, before its end of all activity.
Textiles
Making use of a William LeeWilliam Lee
-Miscellaneous:*William Lee , Roman Catholic bishop*William Lee , Roman Catholic bishop*William Lee , colonial writer and ship's captain...
invention, stocking frame spread out in Amiens with high quality wools prescribed by the local weaver guild.
To get round the rule and obtain lower cost produce, a family of stocking makers (faiseurs de bas au métier) settled down in Querrieu about the middle of the 18th century, the wool coming from local sheep-farming, carding and spinning being carried out by craftsmen of the village.
The names of eleven stocking makers appear on the 1836 census.
Knitting
About 1850, some knittingKnitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
workshops, making use of original English knitting machines Mule-jenny
Spinning mule
The spinning mule was a machine used to spin cotton and other fibres in the mills of Lancashire and elsewhere from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. Mules were worked in pairs by a minder, with the help of two boys: the little piecer and the big or side piecer...
invented by Samuel Crompton
Samuel Crompton
Samuel Crompton was an English inventor and pioneer of the spinning industry.- Early life :Samuel Crompton was born at 10 Firwood Fold, Bolton, Lancashire to George and Betty Crompton . Samuel had two younger sisters...
, were operating in Querrieu.
In 1881, ninety-eight knitters (men and women) in workshops or at home, live in the village.
The last workshop opened in 1925, was running with machines driven by electrical engines; all activities ceased in 1950.
File:Mule-jenny.jpg|Mule-jenny used in French knitting workshops
Castle
At an indeterminate time, but probably in order to fight the NorsemenNorsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
invaders in the 10th century, a fortress was built on the right bank of the river Hallue, close to the gallo-Roman road Amiens-Bapaume. It was a dark and heavy building in thick walls of bricks, pierced of rare and narrow holes. Wide ditches and deep ponds defended approach of the fortress on which the access was only possible by a drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
. The ground floor was in strong sandstone and heavy towers covered in dome, defended the fortified manor.
After the death of her husband in 1735, Anne-Françoise Perrin, dowager marquess, undertakes to change the fortress into a building pleasant to live in. The new castle consists in a main part formed by a ground-floor surmounted by a storey, enclosed by two turrets in fore-parts built over the subfoundations in sand stone of the two old towers, and prolonged by two pavilions on extremities. The new castle is preceded by a courtyard bordered by walls and bars. French style gardens
Garden à la française
The French formal garden, also called jardin à la française, is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order over nature. It reached its apogee in the 17th century with the creation of the Gardens of Versailles, designed for Louis XIV by the landscape architect André Le...
with a large basin are spreading on the rear.
After the death of Louis François de Gaudechart in 1832, his widow, Princess Clémentine Charlotte de Rohan-Rochefort, embellishes the castle and its surroundings. An extra storey and attics were added to the main part of the building, the whole crowded by a balustrade in white stone. The park surrounding the castle was extensively enlarged ; a new enclosure in stones and bricks was built and a large iron gate opening to the village. All these arrangements are subsisting nowadays.
Most parts of inside ornaments come from the nineteenth century, particularly panellings of the ground-floor rooms, and inlaid-work of parquetry.
During World War I, the castle was occupied by several British and Australian military High Quarters. After the murderous Bullecourt battle
Bullecourt
Bullecourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in France.-Geography:Bullecourt lies on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume and east of the A1 motorway. This shows Bullecourt just north of centre. Quéant is the larger of the two...
, on April 11 and May 13, 1917, Sir William Ridell Birdwood
William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood
Field Marshal William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, CIE, DSO was a First World War British general who is best known as the commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915.- Youth and early career :Birdwood was born...
, commandant of the Australian Corps
Australian Corps
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire army in France...
on the West front, came to rest in the castle of Querrieu. He stood there until his promotion in command of the 5th British Army.
After the death, without lineage on April 17, 1878, of Raoul de Gaudechart last marquess of Querrieu, the castle became property of Marie-Thérèse de Gaudechart direct descendant of Robert de Gaudechart seignior of Querrieu, wife of the count Alvar d'Alcantara, of Belgian nobility.
In 1927, the name of Querrieu was added to those of d'Alcantara. Nowadays, the castle is still inhabited by the family d'Alcantara de Querrieu.
Church
The church is dedicated to Saint Gervais and Saint ProtaisGervasius and Protasius
Saints Gervasius and Protasius are venerated as Christian martyrs, probably of the 2nd century....
.
Architecture
The church of Querrieu bordering a chalky table-land, is looking down upon the Hallue river. It appears of heterogeneous construction, but the careful scrutiny of its architecture, is able to gives us its dates of modification.The choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
is bordered on each side by three columns without any capital and joined together by nibs of prismatic profile. Columns and walls sustain a frame hidden by a wooden ceiling. The apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
is opened by large bays of Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. The geminate central one represents Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
the Saviour IHS. From an ancient transept, only one of the two arms on the north side subsists, used as a strong bell tower, from which the walls are pierced with ogival bays. Thus, this part of the church may be dated of the fourteenth or the fifteenth century.
The altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
coming from the abbey of Saint-Acheul of Amiens, was bought in 1805. Altar, steps and tabernacle made of painted oak, form a harmonious whole.
A Beam of Glory, modest reduction of a rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
, was marking a separation between the choir and the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. Two holes in pillars sustaining the high ogival Triumpal arch, are nowadays the only memory of that beam.
All bays are fitted with coloured stained glass. Their tints are green and gold on the geminate bay of the apse and the large one over the portal, red and blue prevail on all the others.
The simple observation of the joining of the choir with the nave and the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, clearly marks the posteriority of the nave building. This construction without any architectural style is mainly characterised by its strength. Its eight pillars surmounted by heavy walls sustain the roof-tree by four beams and middle posts.
The octagonal base of the baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, the column and the vat are made of limestone and may be dated of the sixteenth century. The cap on neo-gothic style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, made of oak with sunken decorations, is dated of 1860.
The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was offered in 1709. The internal face of the roof is decorated with the Holy Ghost dove.
Statuary
- Saint Gervais and Saint Protais, made of painted wood of the nineteenth century. Their bases are decorated with ornemental patterns.
- Saint Ambroise and Saint Augustin, made of painted wood of the eighteenth century.
- Saint Roch, made of painted wood, undated.
- The Blessed Virgin of the CalvaryCalvaryCalvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
, made of painted wood of the sixteenth century. Probably coming from the Beam of Glory. - Virgin of MercyVirgin of MercyThe Virgin of Mercy is a subject in Catholic art, showing a group of people sheltering for protection under the outspread cloak of the Virgin Mary. It was especially popular in Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a specialised form of votive portrait, and is also found in other...
(Pietà). Monument made of painted chalk, undated. - Virgin with infant. Processional statue made of pine wood, of nineteenth century.
- Saint Firmin, made of painted wood, of niniteenh century.
French War Memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
was erected in front of the Public place. Built in granit of Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
on truncated pyramidal shape of four metres high, it is surmounted by a gilded cock.
External links
- Querrieu on the Quid website
- Pierre d'Alcantara de Querrieu (NL)