Barby, Ardennes

Geography

Barby is located immediately north-west of Rethel and immediately south-east of Château-Porcien. Access to the commune is by the D926 road from Rethel which passes through the heart of the commune and the village before continuing north-west to Château-Porcien. The D946 from Rethel passes through the north of the commune as it goes north-west to Seraincourt. The commune is entirely farmland.

The Aisne river passes through the south-east of the commune forming a small part of the south-eastern border as it flows west to eventually join the Oise at Compiègne. The Vaux river flows south, forming the western border of the commune, to join the Aisne just outside the south-western tip of the commune. The Ruisseau de Bourgeron flows from the north-east through the commune and the village and joins the Aisne on the southern border. The Canal des Ardennes is parallel to and south of the Aisne and forms a small portion of the southern border of the commune.

Climate

July and August are very hot and dry with temperatures up to 38 °C. Even so, rainfall is more frequent in summer, but the winters are shorter and less severe. The cold weather lasts only from October to March which favours corn crops and especially Kitchen gardens.

History

Excavations have uncovered a Bronze Age tomb in Barby and the village is traversed by the old Roman road from Rethel to Château-Porcien.

The village of Gerson was located on the current territory of the commune in the Middle Ages but is now gone. It was at Gerson that Jean Charlier de Gerson, Chancellor of the University of Paris (nicknamed Doctor Christianissimus), was born in 1363. A Wayside cross marks the place which traditionally is his birthplace. The commune named the Rue Gerson after him and the parish built a monument in the church during its construction in 1880 or 1881.

Barby appears as Barby on the 1750 Cassini Map and the same on the 1790 version.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Barbyons or Barbyonnes in French.

|1793 |394 |1800 |478 |1806 |474 |1821 |498 |1831 |546 |1836 |598 |1841 |586 |1846 |593 |1851 |610 |1866 |476 |1872 |398 |1876 |414 |1881 |415 |1886 |383 |1891 |341 |1896 |318 |1901 |308 |1906 |323 |1911 |301 |1921 |263 |1926 |275 |1931 |226 |1936 |240 |1946 |187 |1954 |226 |1962 |234 |1968 |209 |1975 |211 |1982 |347 |1990 |384 |1999 |352 |2007 |369 |2012 |379 |2017 |415

Economy

Barby is a rural commune characterised by agriculture. The wheat harvest wheat is a highlight of life in the commune.

Sites and Monuments

• The Church of Saint John the Baptist dates from 1880. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Baptismal font (15th century)
  • 2 Statues: Virgin of Pity and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist (15th century)
  • A Painting: The beheading of Saint John the Baptist (15th century)
  • An Altar and Retable (15th century)
  • A Statue: Saint Barbe (16th century)
  • A Statue: Saint John the Baptist (17th century)
  • A Statue: Saint Hubert (17th century)
  • A Funeral Plaque for Elisabeth la Chardenière, mother of Jean Gerson (16th century)
• La Crauye, a chalk quarry north of the village.
• Les Bœufs Blancs (The White Oxen), a beach on the Aisne.

Notable people linked to the commune

• Jean Charlier de Gerson (1363-1429), Chancellor of the University of Paris.
• Gérard Tène (or Thène), a labourer at Barby in 1644 and his son, Joseph Taine - also a labourer at Barby, were the ancestors of Hippolyte Taine.
• Eugène Marquigny, a Jesuit and writer born in 1836 at Barby.
• Guy Féquant, writer, born in 1949 at Barby

References

References

1. (13 September 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
2. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/08048-barby INSEE commune file]
3. [http://www.cnvvf.fr/les_villes_et_village_fleuris-47.html Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom website] {{webarchive. link. (December 10, 2014 {{in lang). fr
4. fr
5. [https://www.habitants.fr/ardennes-08 Le nom des habitants du 08 - Ardennes], habitants.fr
6. {{Cassini-Ehess. 2640. Barby
7. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-08048#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
8. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000058. PM08000058 Baptismal font {{in lang. fr
9. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000057. PM08000057 2 Statues: Virgin of Pity and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist {{in lang. fr
10. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000056. PM08000056 Painting: The beheading of Saint John the Baptist {{in lang. fr
11. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000055. PM08000055 Altar and Retable {{in lang. fr
12. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000054. PM08000054 Statue: Saint Barbe {{in lang. fr
13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000053. PM08000053 Statue: Saint John the Baptist {{in lang. fr
14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000052. PM08000052 Statue: Saint Hubert {{in lang. fr
15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy. PM08000051. PM08000051 Funeral Plaque for Elisabeth la Chardenière, mother of Jean Gerson {{in lang. fr
16. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Barby,+France/@49.525193,4.31437,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x47e989596e26e68d:0xc48ab480e4fa7572 Barby on Google Maps]
17. National Geographic Institute]] (IGN) website {{in lang. fr
18. [http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/cassinige.html?lat=49.5228&lon=4.3136&zoom=13 ''Barby'' on the 1750 Cassini Map]
19. [http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/clipmosaiccassini400.html?lat=49.5228&lon=4.3136&zoom=12 ''Barby'' on the 1790 Cassini Map]