Le Parcq

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Coordinates: 50°22′48″N 2°06′04″E / 50.38, 2.10111111111

Administration
Commune of Le Parcq
Location

Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Montreuil
Canton	Le Parcq
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes de l'Hesdinois
Mayor	Louis Magère (2001-2008)
Statistics
Elevation	27 m–113 m (avg. 115 m)
Land area^¹	9,27 km²
Population^² (2004)	726
- Density	75/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	62647/ 62770
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Le Parcq is a commune and the chief town of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

1 Geography
2 Population
3 History
4 Places of interest
5 See also
6 External links
7 Notes

[edit] Geography

A town some 18 miles(29km) southeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the N39 road, in the valley of the Ternoise river. Since the 1st January 2007, the canton of Le Parcq has been part of the arrondissement of Montreuil-sur-Mer (Order of 18th October 2006 . Previously, Le Parcq was in the arrondissement of Arras.

[edit] Population

Population Evolution
1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2004
603	604	586	570	633	702	726
Census count starting from 1962 : Population without double counting

[edit] History

The establishment of Le Parcq dates from the founding of a castle (on the current site of Vieil-Hesdin) by Baldwin I of Constantinople or Baudouin IX, [[Count of Flanders] ] around the year 1208. It was a wooden enclosure surrounded by walls within which wild animals were placed in large numbers.
In 1219, Louis VIII of France expanded the enclosure. Count Robert II of Artois expanding the park in 1293. In 1329, portcullis were installed at all the gates of the castle. Unfortunately, in 1335, Edward III destroyed the castle just before the start of the Hundred Years War. This destruction was continued in 1337 by Charles III of Navarre who brought down the walls. In 1395, Philip II of Burgundy restored the castle walls.
Several people were employed daily to feed the animals in the park which also had a vast falconry centre and two fishing lakes. The park totalled 940 hectares with a perimeter of approximately 8 miles (13km), opening onto the outside world by many gates.
After the destruction of Vieil-Hesdin in) 1553 by Charles V, the park was, at the initiative of Philippe V of France, made the parkland available to those displaced by the fall of the old town, who wished to build new homes on the parkland. To attract more people, tax benefits were given, on February 25th 1586 to all those moving into the area.
Thus, the park became a village, originally known as Parc-lès-Hesdin. The municipality was formally recognized in 1670 and on February 8th 1816, Le Parcq also became chef-lieu of the canton by royal decree.