Fey

Origin of the name Fey

First reliable mention in 1228 in the form «Fei»; «Feio» is also found around 1152-1160 and «Guillemus de Fai» in 1154 (to be cross-checked). The name derives from the Latin «fagus», beech; the municipal coat of arms accordingly bears a beech tree.

Founding of Fey

None of the sources consulted names the founder of the village; its name links it to the beech forests that surrounded it. In the 12th century Fey depended on the lordship of Bercher, then held by the lords of Cossonay and later passed to various lords. The church of Saint-Etienne, mentioned in 1166, was a parish church by 1228.

History of Fey

1166. Mention of the church of Saint-Etienne.

12th century. Fey depends on the lordship of Bercher, held by the lords of Cossonay.

1228. First reliable mention of the name, «Fei»; the church is a parish church.

1302. The village has 26 hearths.

1323. The castle of Bourjod, in the territory of Fey south of Pailly, is recorded (to be cross-checked).

1453. Only 13 hearths remain.

1536. Bernese conquest: Fey joins the bailiwick of Yverdon, until 1798; the municipality is run by a governor and the assembly of burghers. At the Reformation the church becomes a dependency of the parish of Bercher.

1702. The church is rebuilt to plans by the Bernese architect Samuel Jenner (to be cross-checked).

1711. Date inscribed on the village granary, which is doubtless older (to be cross-checked).

1798. The municipality joins the district of Echallens.

1889. Opening of the station on the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher line.

1920-1922. General drainage of the marshes, turned into farmland (to be cross-checked).

1920-1960. Population decline, linked in particular to the closure of the Nestlé condensed milk factory in Bercher.

1966. New school building.

2000. The three economic sectors each account for a third of jobs; more than two thirds of the working population work outside the municipality.

2008. With the new territorial division of Vaud, the municipality joins the district of Gros-de-Vaud.

Population of Fey

Population of Fey

1302	26 hearths (households)
1453	13 hearths (households)
1699	295 inhabitants
1764	259 inhabitants
1798	319 inhabitants
1850	513 inhabitants
1880	447 inhabitants
1900	476 inhabitants
1950	384 inhabitants
1970	306 inhabitants
2000	422 inhabitants
2025	791 inhabitants (31 December)

Historic sites in Fey

The temple. Former church of Saint-Etienne, mentioned in 1166 and a parish church in 1228, which became a dependency of Bercher at the Reformation. Rebuilt in 1702, it forms a large preaching hall with a five-sided east end; the plans are attributed to Samuel Jenner and a stained-glass window of 1909 to Clément Heaton (to be cross-checked).

The granary. A typical example of these rural buildings, on the place du Bicentenaire, dated 1711 but probably older (to be cross-checked).

The LEB station. Station on the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher line since 1889.

Remains in Fey

The castle of Bourjod. Former seigneurial castle on a wooded mound between the Sauteruz and the ruisseau du Château, in the territory of Fey south of Pailly. Recorded in 1323, it fell into ruin in the 15th century; its stones were partly used to build the church of Pailly at the beginning of the 17th century, then the dairy in 1816 (to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Fey »
• Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Alphabet des communes vaudoises : Fey »
• Wikipédia, « Fey (Vaud) »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Fey

• Pailly (VD)
• Bercher (VD)
• Naz (VD)
• Rueyres (VD)
• Vuarrens (VD)