Lesbœufs

File:Lesboeufs (2).JPG

Lesbœufs town hall

Lesbœufs
Lesbœufs
Location within Picardy region Lesbœufs
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Somme
Arrondissement	Péronne
Canton	Combles
Intercommunality	Canton of Combles
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Etienne Dubruque
Area1	5.97 km2 (2.31 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	171
• Density	29/km2 (74/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	80472 / 80360
Elevation	112–154 m (367–505 ft) (avg. 31 m or 102 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Lesbœufs (French pronunciation: ​[lebø]) is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.

Geography

Lesbœufs is situated on the D74 road, about 0.8 km (0.50 mi) from the A1 autoroute, some 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Amiens and 15 km (9 mi) north-east of Albert.

History

The village was named from a legend about the Scottish monk, Saint Furcy who came as an evangelist to Picardy. He died during a journey to Péronne, where he had wanted to visit a church that he’d ordered to be built. Several communes claimed his body for burial. After negotiations, it was decided that he would be buried at the place where the oxen (the beef), pulling his funeral cart, decided to stop. They pulled up at Péronne, where St Furcy became patron Saint. The village where these negotiations took place? First called "Les Boeufs" then "Lesboeufs".

The little village has one feature of interest to outsiders, the Guards Cemetery. There are now 3,136 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery which was designed by Sir Herbert Baker. Occupied by the Germans, Lesboeufs was attacked by the Guards Division on 15 September 1916 and captured eight days later. It was lost on 24 March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive and recaptured on 29 August by the 10th Bn, South Wales Borderers.

Population

Historical population of Lesbœufs

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
Population	213	213	150	138	159	151	171
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest

• The church
• The Military cemetery - the "Guards' cemetery"

Personalities

• Saint Furcy - Patron saint of the neighbouring town of Péronne

See also

• Communes of the Somme department

References

• INSEE

External links

• C.W.G site
• Lesboeufs on the Quid website (French)