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Aiseau-Presles (Municipality, Province of Hainaut, Belgium)

Municipal flag of Aiseau-Presles - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 14 May 2005

Presentation of Aiseau-Presles and its villages
Municipal flag of Aiseau-Presles

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Presentation of Aiseau-Presles and its villages

The municipality of Aiseau-Presles (10,911 inhabitants, 2,250 hectares) is made since 1977 of the four former municipalities of Aiseau, Pont-de-Loup, Roselies and Presles. It is located in Hainaut, a few kilometers east of Charleroi, close to the province of Namur. Aiseau is an old industrial city, with forges, collieries and glassworks; collieries extended to Pont-du-Loup and Roselies, whereas Presles remained mostly an agricultural village.

Aiseau developed from the hamlet of l'Hayette, built along a single road, probably around the estate of Aizium, mentioned in 952. Progressively, new farms were founded and the village spread to the feudal castle, the priory of Oignies and the river Sambre.
The St. Nicolas' priory of Oignies was founded in 1192 by four brothers canons, whose mother set up a Beguine convent. The monastery existed until the XIXth century; its monks served six churches and set up a rich library, which was unfortunately broken up in 1815. The monks were expelled during the French Revolution. In 1798, Philippe de Neverlée bought the priory and transformed it into a wealthy farm. The Société des Glaceries purchased the farm in 1837 and transformed it into a factory producing mirrors, later purchased by the company Saint-Roch, from Auvelais (Sambreville) and closed in 1931. Remains of a chimney and of an oven are still visible.

Extraction of coal started in Aiseau before the XVth century. In 1806, Baron de Lierneux and his two associates were allowed to dig coal in the municipalities of Aiseau, Farciennes, Pont-de-Loup and Presles. The 540 hectare concession was called Pont-de-Loup Nord. In 1856, the company was renamed Société Charbonnière d'Aiseau-Presles and placed under the direction of François H&ecaute;nin. The new director developed the production by opening new shafts (Tergnée in Farciennes, Panama in Roselies), modernizing the extraction process with a steam machine, and selling coal in different grades. In 1890, the company was renamed S.A. du Charbonnage d'Aiseau-Presles; it was purchased in 1897 by the Fabrique d'Agglomérés de Houilles de Châtelineau. Hénin was succeeded by his son Jules and later his grand-son Carlo. In 1929, the concession spread over 925 hectares; 1,140 workers produced yearly 265,000 tons of coal. The company, still directed by the Hénin family, ceased its activity on 31 May 1977, when the Tergnée shaft was closed. At that time, there were only four shafts still active in the basins of Charleroi and Lower-Sambre.

Pont-de-Loup is located in a curve of the Sambre, close to Farciennes. The village (Funderloo) was part of a big domain granted by Louis the Pious to Eckhard in 840. It was later renamed Ponderlues, Ponderlos and Ponderlous.
The ancient church of Pont-de-Loup was built in the XIth-XIIth centuries. The tower of the church is the only remain of that church; it stands now in the middle of the ancient cemetary, transformed into a necropolis for the war veterans.

Presles was owned in the XIIth century by the family Rumigny, from Florennes. Later owners were the lords of Seraing, the Enghien family and the Lierneux family. In the beginning of the XIXth century, Marie-Charlotte de Lierneux married Emile d'Oultremont, first Count de Presles and Ambassador in Italy. Their son Charles built in Presles a beautiful castle surrounded by a landscaped garden. The castle is still inhabited by the Oultremont family, whose head is Count Eugène d'Oultremont. The garden is opened to the public once a year for daffodil picking.
The Golias farm, built in the XVth century, belonged to the Oultremont family for a long time. During the Second World War, the farm was managed by Waleffe Hubert, a chief of the local anti-German resistance, who hid there several people looked for by the Germans. The barn was burnt down in 1967-1968 and never revamped; farming stopped in 1969. The local beast of Presles is the Lum'rodje, a quadruped of uncertain nature powered by four human legs and guided by a man with a club and followers.

Roselies belonged to the County of Namur. In the middle of the XIVth century, Count Guillaume le Riche gave Roselies, which had then 12 houses, to the lord of Seraing. From 1410 to 1625, Roselies was ruled by the Haverich family, who sold it to Herman de Lerneux, lord of Presles.
In 1878, the population of Roselies was bigger than the population of Presles, and Roselies became an independent municipality. The colliery favoured the developement of Roselies. Since the coal-mine was isolated and served by very bad paths, Hôtel du Panama was built in the dependencies of the colliery in order to house 72 miners. The hotel was very modern: it had electric and steaming heating and warm water baths and laundry. It was built by workers of Farciennes who had contributed to the opening of the Canal of Panama. When they arrived on the building site for the first time, they saw groups of wooden huts similar to the American huts and said "It's like Panama".
On 21 August 1914, a violent fighting opposed the French and German troops in Roselies, and spread to Oignies, Aiseau, Tamine, Falizolle and Moignelée. 466 French (421 unidentified) and 179 Germans (37 unidentified) were buried in the cemetary of Roselies.

Sources:

Ivan Sache, 24 April 2005

Municipal flag of Aiseau-Presles

The municipal flag of Aiseau-Presles is blue with a semy of white fleurs-de-lys and the name of the municipality in black letters.

Proposed municipal flag of Aiseau-Presles - not used - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 14 May 2005

According to Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones, the Heraldry and Vexillology Council of the French Community proposed a banner of the municipal arms, blue with a semy of white fleurs-de-lys (without the name of the municipality).
The municipal arms are those of Catherine de Haneffe, aka Catherine d'Orchamps.

Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 24 April 2005