Ners

Ners is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.

Ners
Commune
A general view of Ners
Coat of arms
Location of Ners
Ners Ners
Coordinates: 44°01′38″N 4°09′34″E
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Alès
Canton	Quissac
Intercommunality	Alès Agglomération
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Patrice Pupet
Area ^1	4.96 km^2 (1.92 sq mi)
Population  (2017-01-01)[1]	702
• Density	140/km^2 (370/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	30188 /30360
Elevation	79–181 m (259–594 ft) (avg. 123 m or 404 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

Ners is part of a territory inhabited long before the Roman presence in the region.

The village is located along the ancient road 'voie Régordane' going from Saint-Gilles to Puy-en-Velay. Along this road traders, pilgrims, crusaders and knights crossed the river Gardon.

In 1211 Ners is first time reported as a place of residence with the "castrum nercium" - a watchtower of the twelfth century. This tower was probably constructed as an outpost to the village of Vezenobres as well as to protect the few inhabitants of the village. The tower was gradually expanded and in 1480 it retained its castle walls and is to be considered the oldest building in the village.

Etymology

Etymologically the name can be derived from "Nertius", a Gallo-Roman person with great prestige in ancient times. A manuscript from 1247 mentions the name "Nercium" and in 1547 "Ners".

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1789	425	—
1856	561	+32.0%
1901	403	−28.2%
1954	354	−12.2%
1962	347	−2.0%
1968	357	+2.9%
1975	362	+1.4%
1982	473	+30.7%
1990	544	+15.0%
1999	618	+13.6%
2008	672	+8.7%

See also

• The village of Ners
• Communes of the Gard department

References

1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.