Balham, Ardennes

Balham is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of northern France.

Balham
Commune
The Aisne at Balham
Coat of arms
Location of Balham
Balham
Balham
Coordinates: 49°29′34″N 4°09′40″E
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentArdennes
ArrondissementRethel
CantonChâteau-Porcien
IntercommunalityPays Rethélois
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2020) Vincent Roland
Area
1
1.77 km2 (0.68 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
152
 • Density86/km2 (220/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
08044 /08190
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balhamais or Balhamaises.[2]

The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.[3]

Geography

Balham is located some 12 km west by south-west of Rethel and 3 km north-east of Asfeld. Access to the commune is by the D926 road from Gomont in the north-east which passes through the village and continues south-west to Asfeld. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.[4]

The Aisne river passes through the centre of the commune flowing from north-east to south-west on its way to join the Oise at Compiègne. The parallel Canal des Ardennes passes through the southern tip of the commune.[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages[4]

Toponymy

The name Balham comes from the name of a person Ballo + Heim. It was Balaan around 1172 and Balehan in 1211–1212.

Heraldry
Arms of Balham
 Blazon:

Azure, a chevron of Or between three acorns the same, in chief also Or charged with two mullets of Gules.

Administration
The Town Hall

List of Successive Mayors[5]

FromToNamePartyPosition
19952008Jean-Pierre Moraux
20082020Vincent Roland

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 135 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger communes that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]

Population change (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
259 251 286 314 324 327 310 317 345
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
- - 320 292 283 283 257 257 238
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
205 191 201 198 193 160 144 132 151
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2010 -
131 114 115 95 103 125 - 135 -
The War Memorial
The Canal des Ardennes at Balham
Population of Balham, Ardennes

Sites and monuments
The Church with the door to the Cemetery
  • The Cemetery (15th century) is registered as an historical monument.[6]
  • The Church of Saint John the Baptist contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
    • A Stained glass window (1536)[7]
    • A Statue: Saint Barbe (15th century)[8]
    • A Statue: Saint Catherine (15th century)[9]

Notable people linked to the commune
  • Edmond Louis Alexis Dubois-Crancé (1747-1814), Revolutionary politician, member of the Committee of Public Order, General of the Republic, Commissioner of the Army and Minister of War (September–November 1799), became Mayor of Balham after 1800.
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See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Inhabitants of Ardennes (in French)
  3. Balham in the Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom Archived December 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  4. Google Maps
  5. List of Mayors of France (in French)
  6. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00078339 Cemetery (in French)
  7. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM08000045 IM08000079 Stained glass window (Bay 0) (in French)
  8. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM08000047 Statue: Saint Barbe (in French)
  9. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM08000046 Statue: Saint Catherine (in French)
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