Bonchamp-the-Laval

Bonchamp-the-Laval is a common French, located in the department of the Mayenne and the area Pays of the Loire.

The inhabitants of Bonchamp-the-Laval are the Bonchampois .

Geography

Bonchamp is located in Mayenne concurrently to Laval.

Axes of circulation

Two axes of road traffic cross Bonchamp of is in west:

the highway A11,
RN 157.

Cours d' water

The Jouanne is one of the two rivers of the commune. Fishermen and walkers attend this small river, in particular starting from the Moulin of Soak.

The brook of the District is in the west, with the limit of the town of Laval.

History

The name of the commune since thousand years: of Malo Campo with Bonchamp-the-Laval

The study of the documents of files shows us that the commune did not always bear the same name and that it could even have been called differently starting from the end of the 19th century.

The first hard copies go back to the 11th century, and one will not fail to note this curious transformation of the Latin name of malo into bono !

11th century: Costume Sancte Marie de Malo Campo
12th century: presbyter of Malo Campo
1241: Parrochia de Bono Campo
1312: Bonchamp
1422 : Presbyter de Bono Campo

But it is a military mishap which will decide fate of the name of the commune. On this subject let us read the declaration of Gaultier de Vaucenay, mayor of Bonchamp, at the time of the meeting of municipal council of the November 5th 1893:

“Sirs: you remember that the last September 21st, of the preparations had been made in the commune of Bonchamp, by the quartering of two squadrons of cavalry, and that these preparations had been useless in consequence of a confusion brought by the resemblance of name of our commune to that of Bouchamps (close to Craon) to which should have arrived the instructions arrived here by error.

to manage to avoid the return of similar confusion, I invite you to address the civil authorities and to soldiers a request tending to add to the names of these two communes a distinctive qualification on the official parts, directories and charts. One could for our commune say: Bonchamp-of-Maine or Bonchamp-the-Laval, and for Bouchamps (close Craon), Bouchamps of Anjou or Bouchamps-of-Craon. ”

The municipal council gave an favorable opinion to this request for modification of name.

And it is by a decree of the November 20th 1894 that Bonchamp took its current name: Bonchamp-the-Laval.

Sources: Dictionary of the Abbot Angot - Volume 1

Departmental records of the Mayenne: E-deposit 24 1 D 5

Mayors of Bonchamp of the 18th century to today

Pierre Breheret (cleaned) - 1790,1791
Louis Plants (national agent) - 1798
Joseph Boucher - year VIII, year XII
Rene Desmazières - 1813
Isidore Boullier - 1815
Gaultier - 1821,1824
Matagrin - 1827,1830
Boucher - 1835,1836
Bodereau - 1840,1850
Gaultier de Vaucenay - 1855,1862
Bodereau - 1862-1866
Vincent - 1866-1884
Gaultier de Vaucenay - 1884
Vincent - 1890
Maline - 1903

According to the Abbot Angot, Gaultier de Vaucenay would have been revoked of its function of mayor in November 1908 for “maintenance of the crucifix in the classes”.

Duchemin de Vaubernier - 1924
Dulong de Rosnay - 1936
Georges Pouteau - 1945
Mongason - 1951
Henri Gendron - 1954
Henri Houdouin - 1973

Sources: dictionary of the Abbot Angot - Volumes 1 and 4 (XVI and XIXe centuries). Town hall of Bonchamp (XXe century)

Trades of Bonchampois at the end of the XIXe century

Number of people occupying the various professions towards 1899 (these figures include the owners and the employees).

All the other inhabitants of the commune work then in agriculture. On a hundred and ten exploitations, only seven farmers are owners. The others are sharecroppers or farmers, occupying two hundred and twenty farm laborers and about fifty maidservants.

Carpenters: 6.
Masons: 8
Marshals, manufacturers of forgery: 18
Cartwright S: 10
Shoe-makers: 2
Tisserands: 8
Baker: 1
Grocers: 3
Outputting: 10

Sources: Departmental records of Mayenne (ms 80.1 - communal Monograph per H. Guittier, public teacher)

Demography

The official statistics concerning the population of the communes are of rather recent appearance, since they go back to less than two centuries. However, the study of the old documents such as the registers of registry office enable us to have an idea of the state of the population for the former periods.

Thus various historians could establish the following statements:

Average of the births of 1601 to 1610: 38
For the period going from 1610 to 1640, one estimates the population at approximately 1000 inhabitants. The study of the birthrate and mortality emphasizes an average annual surplus of 16 people. Only three years have a negative balance, characteristic of the periods of epidemics. The year 1639 is remarkable for this reason, since one raises twice more death than of births.
Average of the births of 1701 to 1710: 54
240 fires in 1697
1006 inhabitants imposed by salt, the 51 poor and 10 free in 1776.
1026 inhabitants imposed by salt, the 44 poor, 13 free in 1780.
900 communicants in 1780.
971 imposed, the 26 poor and 12 free in 1786.

Some more recent statistical data (many listed inhabitants):

1891: 1032
1896 : 959
1901 : 939
1906 : 959
1911 : 920
1921 : 777
1926 : 797
1931 : 780
1936 : 788
2006 : more than 5.000

Economy

Famous characters

Philippe Dalibard, cyclist

Tourist monuments and places

Castle of Poligné
the church Saint-Blaise: Built at the 11th century, it was several times modified until the 18th century.

Among the remarkable elements, one will retain more particularly: - the Retable of the Virgin (1639) - the epitaph (18th century) - the retable of the high altar builds towards 1760. - the pulpit in Wrought iron manufactured by the Master metal worker Jean-Baptist-Rene Lafosse in 1768.

the church of Cassine: These vestiges of the end of the 11th century are located at a few kilometers of the current city.

the manor of Large Courteille: The manor itself dates from the beginning of the 16th century whereas its vault was built in 1631.

the village of potters of Gaudinières: This village is located close to the borough of Forcé. The activity of Poterie was with its apogee in this place at the 16th century.

Twinnings

References

External bonds

Laval Agglomeration Page devoted to Bonchamp-the-Laval

Town of Bonchamp Official site

To act together in Bonchamp municipal opposition

Joint committee Bonchamp-Diedorf

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