- Presentation of Abondant:
- Abondant is a rural community of the department of Eure-et-Loir, located 7 km north east of Dreux who is his sub-prefecture. Administratively, it depends on the central region of the district of Dreux and Canton of Anet. It is part of the Agglo country Dreux. Geographically it belongs to Thimerais-Drouais sector.
- At an altitude of 135 meters, the town of Abondant occupies a transition territory. Located mainly on the Plateau drouais, she also participates on its western fringe landscape system designed by the valley of the Eure. It derives its originality in its relations with the forest of Dreux - kidney which its various nuclei are backed urbanized - while positioning themselves at the interface of the cultivated shelf and the Eure Valley. The etymology of his name carries this notion of limit Abondant meant since the Middle Ages, the terminal boundary. On the cultivated plateau, wood and copses dot the plains remains of the ancient forest which extended the Rambouillet forest and the forest of Dreux are the last two of this massive entity disappeared.
- The Dogfish valley that once separated Abondant its Brissard hamlet, home to a stream that will start charging during rainy periods. At its tipping point towards the valley of the Eure, on the edge of the plateau, this small valley created the most remarkable landscape of the town.
- The town is very wide: 3 480 hectares (15th Eure-et-Loir in descending order).
- The dominant presence of the forest hectares is 2169, or 63% of the territory. This forest, maintained and managed by the NFB, always hunted with hounds, is almost essentially of hardwood: hornbeam, oak, beech, cherry, Cormiers, birch and in recent years, softwood. It is a mecca for wildlife. It is good to walk in all seasons in its broad avenues, or footpaths, cycling or horseback, more sinuous and mysterious. It is also crossed by the GR22. In addition, it is home to remarkable trees, an arboretum and a few ancient remains: the castle of the Robertière twelfth century, the elegant hunting lodge of the eighteenth century, the cross of the Cup and polishers Neolithic and attesting the region has been inhabited for over 5000 years. The forest was closed in 2004 "protection forest of Dreux" by national decree.
- Outside the forest, the rest of the municipal territory is divided between agricultural areas and urban areas. The village and hamlet very close Brissard have seen in recent years, the two entities come together to do no more than an agglomeration. The other three largest settlements - the Motier Houses, Lodges and Chaignes - also increasingly urbanized as a second agglomeration spread like a great ribbon along the forest.
- Abondant and hamlets:
- Brissard can be considered an area of the town since the two cities meet, due to new construction. The first known name is "boressartus", short for Boscus essartus (wood essarté, cleared). In 1301, we find the name of Brissard stronghold dependent Alleu des Ormeaux (osmeaux), attached to the parish of Abondant. Ancient texts relate the facts about the municipality of Brissard, the notary established Brissard, the barn champarteresse which the tax was levied on crops... A place of the plain, near Brissard maintained the name "gate of the fort "This would indicate that at an early period, there would have been an outpost of the castle Abondant (thus fortified castle). The Brissard terrier book also mentions four hamlets that we do not find anymore: the windmill, pottery, féreterie the bruières. Brissard was a country potters, tile makers of, and bricklayers, all these fabrications are made with clay taken from the immediate vicinity. Nowadays, many street names still give a little life to that past.
- Mottier Houses: For several centuries, from the early days of the monarchy, the "manse" formed the main base of rural property (residential, farmland and dependence): here the etymology of the first part of name. The second part is the family name Mottier, very ancient family of the village who probably lived from about 1522 to 1800. Spelling comes in several variants.
- Les Loges: In the Middle Ages was called "logia", the house, the stately manse around which came successively grouped the settlers. Robert des Loges was lord in the twelfth century. He gave his land to the monks of Chartres holy father with the house he had reserved.
- Chaignes: we find the name of this hamlet on a lease of 1500 spelled Chaheignes. According to some, the original name of this former stronghold located near the stately Lodges, indicates that this was the place where the lord justice is exercised. For others, it would rather the oak could be written chain Will CHESNE or chain. Between Chaignes and Lodges, the farm of bourgeoiserie disappeared today. It is mentioned in a document from 1685 as well as Census 1856. It gave its name to the only street connecting the two hamlets.
- Moulincourt: formerly "mollaincourt" or farm of the mill. This is still a farm, but lost his mill. We find ourselves in 1606, "Jehan Paris, residing in Mollaincourt of Abondant parish." The farm belonged to the monks of the abbey of Breuil Benoist (municipality of Marcilly-sur-Eure), there are still farm Moulincourt the remains of the chapel formerly served by the monks of Breuil Benoist. The path leading to it and part of the plain along this always feels are called "feel to the monks."
- The Sandstone: This small hamlet (two houses) located north of the Chaignes, owes its name to the sandstone quarries that was and which were used to build the Abondant church and houses.. Since 1600, we find "Denys Mailliard, residing in Sandstone, of Abondant parish" In 1697, the farm and the farm grez were leased by the commissioners of the hotel god of Dreux
- Le Coq Fleuri. Small recent housing estate, the name probably comes from site called so because of the poor quality of the soil where the plant growing was best poppy (in popular language rooster)
- Fermaincourt. this name is given by the union of two Latin words: Firma (villa turned into a fortress) and Curia (farm) This hamlet is divided between three municipalities:.. Chérisy, Montreuil Abondant Only four houses along the way of the oven are in the territory of the municipality One. of them would have been a hunting lodge of Diane de Poitiers The basement is full of caves and underground cut into the chalk
- The Slipper.. the western edge of the city is defined by the ridge of the foothills of the Eure valley, with still a party to the river for 400 meters, at a place called "the slipper", the origin of the name corresponds to the shape of an island there. This hamlet is shared with the municipality of Montreuil.
- The Saboterie: the sixteenth century, the ancient texts show that many trades practiced there: shoemakers, woodcutters, ashtrays... the hamlet was therefore more important than now.
- Castle Abondant: this castle was built abundant in the sixteenth century, the great stone staircase was installed in 1723 and received a beautiful wrought iron railing, the two wings were added in 1750. Its large lounge eighteenth century. composed of painted woodwork, consoles, chairs, chandelier and fireplace, is in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The castle and its entrance gate were classified in the register of national heritage in 1928. The castle was occupied by the Marquise Louise-Elisabeth de Croy Tourzel, governess to the royal children under Louis XVI. Ms. Tourzel accompanied the royal family in his flight to Varennes, was imprisoned in the prison of the tower of the temple in 1792 and then in that of force and has narrowly escaped the scaffold. On the death of Robespierre, she was ordered to retire to his land of Abondant where it will be still considered a bit trapped, obliged to report weekly to the municipality of bû so that we can see it had not emigrated. She remained in his castle until the restoration sharing all his time between the cult victims august she was the confidante and care of the most active charity. It can be said that his continued presence throughout the terror saved Abondant looting and confiscation. It was made duchess by Louis XVIII. Died at the age of 82, she was buried in the church Abondant. The driveway of the castle belonged to the lords of Abondant. She was drawn to the initiative of Louis François Bouchet, marquis of Sourches, knight of the order of the king, to connect Abondant the royal road to Versailles-Paris (current RN12). At the end of this alley of the castle is the "wooden round". The name "round" comes from what the Marquis went out every day several of his horses until he turned wood where, had a large circle always in the same place! This wood was purchased by the town in 1987. At the opposite and in alignment with the driveway and the castle, forest road to St George Motel road is still called the Marquis.
