Epiquerez
Origin of the name Epiquerez
First mentioned in 1446 as « Es Piquerez ». The name is said to mean « at the Piquerez' », after a Piquerez family, but this explanation is not certain.[1]
Founding of Epiquerez
Neither the date nor the founder of Epiquerez is known. The locality belonged to the provostry of Saint-Ursanne and always depended spiritually on the parish of Epauvillers. The municipality also included the hamlets of Chervillers, on the Doubs, and Essertfallon.[1]
History of Epiquerez
1329. Mention of the mill of Chervillers, on the bank of the Doubs.[1]
1446. First mention of the village, as « Es Piquerez ».[1]
1614. The community obtains a reduction of the dues owed to the chapter of Saint-Ursanne.[1]
1728. Epiquerez loses a similar lawsuit involving Epauvillers.[1]
1778. The mill of Chervillers is still working.[1]
1791. On the Prince-Bishop's orders, the revolutionary Jean-Claude Piqueré is imprisoned with his son Nicolas in Porrentruy castle. After his release, a liberty tree is planted in the village.[1]
1792. End of membership of the provostry of Saint-Ursanne.[1]
1793-1813. Epiquerez belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815-1978. The village belongs to the canton of Bern, in the Franches-Montagnes district.[1]
1869. The municipality grants honorary citizenship to the Italian patriot Giuseppe Mazzini.[1]
1883-1886. Construction of the school.[1]
1979. Epiquerez joins the new canton of Jura.
2009. On 1 January, Epiquerez merges with Epauvillers, Montenol, Montmelon, Ocourt, Saint-Ursanne and Seleute to form the municipality of Clos du Doubs (Porrentruy district).[1]
Population of Epiquerez
Sources and references: [1]
| 1818 | 164 |
| 1850 | 249 |
| 1870 | 285 |
| 1900 | 186 |
| 1930 | 114 |
| 1950 | 171 |
| 1990 | 74 |
| 2000 | 81 |
| 2008 | 89 |
Historic sites in Epiquerez
Chervillers. Hamlet on the bank of the Doubs, where a mill is recorded from 1329 and was still working in 1778.[1]
Essertfallon. Hamlet of the former municipality, on the southern slope of the Clos du Doubs.[1]
School of 1883-1886. School building constructed in 1883-1886.[1]
Cisterns of the Clos des Citernes. Farm « Au Clos des Citernes » with nine cisterns, cultural property of regional significance (federal PCP inventory). The cisterns are said to date from the 18th century, to be 6 to 8 m deep and fed by springs. Until the 1970s French farmers reportedly came here to fetch water.[3]
Remains in Epiquerez
Mill of Chervillers. Mill on the Doubs, recorded in 1329 and still working in 1778.[1]
Legends of Epiquerez
The devil's bride. At the «tirée-dehors», the custom by which young men from elsewhere had to pay for the right to marry a village girl, a young woman of Epiquerez told the local lads she would sooner marry the devil than any of them. Two years later a strikingly handsome stranger paid ten times the price asked. On the wedding night, when the bride made the sign of the cross with holy water, he let out a scream and fled through the window: she had indeed married the devil. The next day she entered a convent.[5]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Epiquerez » (Claude Rebetez), version du 18.05.2020
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Epiquerez »
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population (OFPP), Inventaire PBC, liste cantonale du canton du Jura (état au 1.1.2026)
- République et Canton du Jura, Gouvernement, message au Parlement relatif à la révision de la législation en matière de fusion de communes (30 mars 2011)
- Aurélie Reusser-Elzingre, Éditer et transmettre un patrimoine linguistique et culturel suisse. Contes et légendes en dialecte oïlique collectés par Jules Surdez, thèse, Université de Neuchâtel, 2018, p. 239
Other villages near Epiquerez
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