December 23rd, 1818, the border between Netherlands and France is fixed definitively. This division is ratified on March 28th, 1820 by the treaty of Courtrai.

The demarcation of the border is carried out in 1820.

The Borders are engraved at the date 1819, of letter N (Netherlands) and the letter F (France) then installed along the border taking back the layout of the limits of 1780:

The practices of Leersois are hustled, disturbed again. Leers become again a frontier village.

Visual sketch of the limit of 1820

The plan of establishment of the marked terminals 1819 is present in the official report of delimitation of the territory of the commune of Leers of August 23, 1824.
(source: Files, Town hall of Leers (France)

The description of the border is specified in the administrative Memorial of the province of Hainaut, year 1887. articles eleventh and twelfth

• Article eleventh: Limit between the commune of Leers-North (Netherlands) and that of Leers (France).
• Twelfth article: Limit between the commune of Néchin (Netherlands) and that of Leers (France).

(source : Archives, communal House of Leers-Nord)

LEERS and its border pillars: Austrian and Republican

In June 20th, 1667 - The war of " devolution " - (*)

King Louis XIV surrounds Tournai; he enters by the door of Lille.

With an important army he undertook an expedition in Flanders. The king crosses Néchin at 7 am the day of Saint Laurent (in August), there is a pause and then he went siege Lille that will capitulate August 17.

1668 - Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle, which puts an end to the war of "devolution".

1678 - The Treaty of Nijmegen confirms the acquisition of Artois, Franche Comte and a few strongholds Flemish.

Leers is officially under obedience French with a few Austrian enclaves.

1716 - Louis XV ordered an inventory of enclaves between Warneton and Tournai.

1750 - A memorandum was commissioned by Louis XV for the preparation of a border and removing enclave's alignment between Luxembourg area and Calais. The map borders will be carried out in 1773.

In May 16th, 1769 -The Treaty of limits in Versailles. A convention of 39 articles was signed by the Duc de Choiseul representing Louis XV and the Count Mercy Argenteau representing the Empress Marie-Thérése, Queen of Hungary, Austria empire.

The 1st article states "To put an end to the difficulties which are high due enclaves... (The issue was on Leers 124 bonniers) 290 parcels of Leers Tournaisis be transferred to France" among which 77 families. All Leers belongs then France.

The Clergy him, remains under the care of the bishop of Tournai.

January 1770 - Complications - The road Menin-Tournai passes in the County of Motterie at a place called Belva

Residents of surrounding municipalities raise claims because they must pay taxes during their travels.

At the same time, to align its border, Marie-Thérése of Austria who had land in France with a value of 276 bonniers (**) conducts exchanges. It was decided to take back on Leers.

November 18th, 1779 - A new agreement is signed in Brussels after 10 years of negotiations by Count Jean Balthazar of Adhémar de Montfalcom representative of Louis XVI and Count of Neny representative of The Empress of Austria in the Netherlands. Leers is cut in half as the parish of Saint Vaast

Result: existence of parishioners Austrians and French with a single parish register. Only one parish, which depends on Tournai. This division of territory includes North Leers meeting in Tournai and the Netherlands Austrians. Leers-south remains the Châtellenie Lille in France. 22 milestones are planned to define the limits.

June 3rd, 1780 - Charles Alexandre de Calonne knight Commissioner of Louis XVI comes to Leers to free inhabitants of their oath of loyalty to the king of France. By a result of this exchange, they become subjects of the Empress Marie-Thérése. With this exchange of 276 bonniers and part of the path of Tournai to Menin, everything that is said to the right of way will be part of the assignment and the remainder will be left along the same path. Signed: "A. Dubus Bailly County of Motterie, Jacques Watteau Alderman of the Motterie, François Doutreligne resident of area. The other inhabitants county not knowing write, I signed for them, De Calonne and Mulle "Bailly" of Leers "

Surprise and displeasure among inhabitants of the village: because of taxes that have more than doubled under the dominion of Her Majesty Marie-Thérése and the fact to be rejected in the Netherlands.

June 25th, 1780 - People of Leers make a complaint with the king of France.

They want to stay in the first convention and offering to give passage to the inhabitants of Estaimpuis, Mouscron and Menin retroceding in the County of Motterie and path Belva.

Signed: "JB Spriet Alderman, miller and farmer at Leers, JJ Lefebvre Alderman at Leers, farmers C. Fr Florquin, DJ Hespel, JB Florquin, PJ Defrenne JB Favier, Doutreligne, Truffaut, the manufacturer of oil and farmer PJ Lezy, the miller and farmer PJ de Courcelles, labourers and A. Carée and Florquin "

December 21st, 1780 - Geometers Gombert and Wallez walk in Leers and determine the limits of the portion granted to Austria to form the town of North-Leers, from the point called "La planche de la Haverie" above Espierre at the end of a path will be the first milestone until the 22nd and milestone to be placed at the entrance of Néchin. Letter from the constabulary: The demarcation operations are handed over several times because of the threatening attitude of the population.

February 8th, 1781: 2nd signing of the agreement to resolve problems concerning the border in relation to the Convention of 1769.

Article V: The king transfers to the Empress Queen 276 bonniers of field of Leers and beyond this, the portion of the path of Tournai to Menin, which passes through the village.

The Austrian area called Leers-Nord The French called Leers-Sud: 348 bonniers.

January 1st1782: Emperor Joseph II of Austria ordered to include the subjects of Leers-North separate registers.

Records Archives Leers North date of commissioning of this decree.

Until then, the acts were registered in Leers-South headquarters parish by the priest Michel Cosse.

1790: The civil administration Leers-Leers North and South was made possible by a decree of that date.

Until that time, despite the separation of 1779, the Assemblies of people on both common law had always met together in the same hall meetings next to the church and, under the chairmanship of Pierre François Joseph Mulle notary and "Bailli" of 2 Leers because the country remained under the care of the priest of Hasnon "lord of the country, patron of the cure and "Gros Décimateur" (***)" and it until 1789.

June 3rd 1792: Armies of the French Republic invaded the Netherlands and back Leers North which becomes town of Jemmapes district of Tournai and Templeuve.

February 17th, 1814: Europe allied against France of Napoleon invests the city of tournai, Leers North falls within the province of Hainaut, district of Tournai.

1815: The countries bordering imagine (to protect) the constitution of a largest country largest with Belgium and Holland under the name of the Netherlands.

1819: Louis XVIII establishes a demarcation treaty between the Netherlands and France. It removes Leers 1780 milestones, which are replaced by those of 1819.

1831: After an insurrection, Belgium's independence is proclaimed with the border, as it is known today.

January 24th, 1936: The Committee of the History Department of Northwest asked the Mayor of Leers to clean the milestone at the corner of the square and Jean Jaurès street with on one side of the eagle two-head of Austria. This milestone offers a historical interest. Maybe your administration could seek classification of the milestone as a historical monument, which would put under the protection of the state..."

Since 2008: are visible to museum Leers:

• An Austrian milestone of 1780
• A republican milestone 1819

(*) The "right of devolution" is a custom of Brabant who, in private estates, gives priority to children (even girls) born of the marriage on children (even boys) born of the second bed. Louis XIV demanded for his wife Marie-Thérése of Austria daughter of King Philip IV of Spain, provinces that Spaniards had in Northern France. (The new King Charles II of Spain being born a second bed). These claims were a pretext to start war devolution.

(**) Le "bonnier" est une mesure agraire de 1,2 à 1,4 hectare (variable suivant les régions) (**) "Bonnier" is a size land of 1.2 to 1.4 hectare (varies regionally)

(***) The "big décimateur" was the one who had the right to lift the "dîme" (tax pick up by the church on agricultural production)