Laires

Laires is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A village situated 15 miles (24 km) south of Saint-Omer, on the D95 road.

Its surrounded by the common Beaumetz-lès-Aire, Erny-Saint-Julien and Laires. Bomy is located 19 km southwest of Saint-Omer's largest city around.

Population

History

In 734, Laires was called "Wilbert", after its owner. The spelling of the name has changed over the centuries from Larae, Laris, Lares, Laire and Lare, to become Laires by the eighteenth century. In 1115, Baldwin VII, Count of Flanders, made a gift of the village to the abbey of St Saviour at Ham. In January 1478, a band of soldiers from the Burgundian garrison at Renescure terrorized the area around Laires. Instead of helping people to fight the "French enemy" they looted the village. Against the Spanish, the commune suffered again. In 1537 the area was completely devastated. In 1542 and 1543, the village was looted several times and fourteen French houses were burned down.