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Grand-Leez
consult the map of Grand-Leez 
Population
2,062
Surface area
1,289 ha
How it got its name
In 805, Les, from the Latin lecem (encountered in the 10th century) or in Celtic: lach = marsh or Latin lacus = lake
Inhabitants
Grand-Leeziens or Leeziens
Whereabouts
A place in a typical Hesbaye landscape, a fairly even, gently undulating land form located where the Meuse and Escaut basins separate (Bavai-Tongres Roman road ), altitude between 159 and 175 m
E 411 highway, exit 11, N 29, bus lines 32 Namur-Gembloux
History
Grand-Leez was created from two jurisdictional lordships, both falling within the jurisdiction of the duchy of Brabant : Grand-Leez and Petit-Leez. The distinction between the two villages goes back only as far as the 12th century, because the original name of the municipality was Lach (marsh). The marshy tracts followed on from a large lake that extended from the boundaries of Gembloux to Aische-en-Refail. The old feudal castle of Grand-Leez (demolished toward 1840) was built on stilts in the middle of a lake. During the Roman period, the place was connected by a byway to the Bavai-Cologne Roman road: a large colony settled there, as underscored by the many remnants (tumuli, pottery, coins, etc.) counted as some of the oldest in the region. The first reference to Leez is recorded in a deed from 805, stating " villa of Leez", where the lord called Nebelong was handing his property over to the St. Denis abbey, near to Paris. The abbey's ownership of the estate was transferred to Lobbes abbey (868-869) and back to the Paris abbey (980), after which it ended up in the hands of secular lords. Grand-Leez and Petit-Leez became jurisdictional lordships of the duchy of Brabant. Grand-Leez was first of all headed by the "de Leez" family (11th-12th centuries.), the de Grand-Leez family, then, in the 14th century, the "Diepenbeeks" and "Sombreffes" (towards 1400). Owners came and went until the "de la Marck" family arrived at the end of the 16th century but decided to sell the lordship in 1614 to J. d’Argenteau, lord of Velaine-sur-Sambre. Subsequent to M. d’Argenteau's marriage with J.H. de Corswarem, the lordship of Grand-Leez was assigned to the Looz-Corswarem family in 1677. At the start of the 12th century, the jurisdictional lordship of Petit-Leez belonged to Henri de Petit-Leez. This was transferred in the 14th century to Arnould de Tillich (1311) and in the 16th century to the de Berlo family. J. d’Argenteau concluded an agreement in 1618 with the Premonstratensians family so as to define the scope of their respective rights : the estate in land of the people in holy orders included a farm, a few houses, land and woodland. The jurisdictional lord retained for himself the penalties and rights to use the forest. The same applied in Petit-Leez where, starting in 1311, Arnould de Tillich had decreed the specific rights of people in holy orders in Floreffe and his own rights. The parish of Grand-Leez goes back a very long way. At the start of the 12th century the responsibility for collecting tithes and conferring the parish charge belonged to the secular lord. These were conferred in 1153 on Wavre priory church and in 1175 on Floreffe abbey. The Premonstratensians of Floreffe served the parish of Grand-Leez throughout the Ancien Regime. The Petit-Leez chapel was dependent thereon, as was the hamlet of Petit-Manil. Time and time again, the village was pillaged, devastated and set on fire as a result of various troops passing through or being quartered there during the various religious wars, Louis XIV's campaigns, the hostilities that broke out over the Austrian Succession and the gangs serving the States-General of the Netherlands or William of Orange. The French occupation starting in 1794 put pressure on the population owing to the taxes imposed and people being conscripted in the army : 20 or so young men lost their lives because of this. Russians and Saxons camping in Grand-Leez proceeded to requisition men and couplings to transport the disabled and equipment in the Liège region. The municipality took over the ownership of timber in Grimberghe, granting each household a felling area. Towards 1850, most of the houses were still made of timber and cob and thatched. Poorly ventilated, cluttered and surrounded by rubbish, these dwellings gave onto beaten tracks, with open sewers. There was a multitude of fires and epidemics. Between 1850 and 1860, about 150 people from Grand-Leez emigrated to the United States to settle down in the town of Green-Bay in Wisconsin. They founded a village which was originally called Grandlez but is now known as Lincoln (Kewaunee county). The two World Wars brought their share of misery to the community, with so many people being shot, deported or taken prisoner. The outbreak of Spanish flu in 1918 claimed 52 lives. It was still essentially an agricultural area, as underscored by the large old farms. The village was gradually transformed into a dormitory village for the new arrivals, who worked in the larger towns nearby.
A must-see
The Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs chapel (Nivaille), near the cemetery, dates back to 1753. The Brabant-style chapel has a Louis XIV door surmounted by a rounded arch, with a cross-ribbed vault interior. It was recently refurbished. The Converterie farm was originally built by Floreffe abbey (for the lay friars). The square courtyard is surrounded by 18th century buildings, with the central building being altered in 1857. The Légillon farm (Nivaille) is an enclosed, whitewashed brick and stone complex characteristic of the traditional 17th century Brabant style. Espinette farm (1850) originally belonged to the Lardinois family then to the Gomands. The farm Repeumont dates back to the early 18th century. The Grand-Leez wood, along with the neighbouring Buis wood, is one of the few key remnants of the huge forest that used to cover most of the region. Forest clearance and grubbing up activities continued from the prehistoric period until the early 20th century, when the wood assumed its present size of 110 hectares or so. The fact that the wood's forest growth has been maintained is primarily because of the abundant moisture in the soil which makes it unsuitable for farming. This comprises Atlantic oak mixed with bluebells. The herbaceous layer comprises several dozen plant species, divided into various ecological groups depending on the moisture content in the soil and its fertility. In common with the plants, the forest creatures (mammals, birds and insects) are spread out in separate areas. An environmentally informative, signposted tourist trail has been opened to allow visitors to see the huge variety of birds and insects living there in large numbers. Starting in the early 1970s and in the wake of sand extraction operations undertaken for the construction of the E 411 motorway, the site has been transformed into a lake as a result of the many sources available there. The municipality has created a fishing lake in the midst of an extremely pleasant and much frequented setting.
