Les Bois
Origin of the name Les Bois
The place appears in 1484 as « Des Boix ». From the 16th to the 18th century it was called « Les Bois Jean Ruedin ». According to tradition, this addition comes from Jean Ruedin, one of the first settlers. Nothing more is known about the origin of the name.[1]
Founding of Les Bois
Les Bois grew out of the settlement of the Franches-Montagnes. According to tradition, one of the first settlers, Jean Ruedin, gave his name to the place. The community, with its scattered farms, belonged to the lordship of the Franches-Montagnes. It first depended on the parish of Montfaucon, then on that of Le Noirmont, before becoming a parish of its own, with the same boundaries as the municipality. This scattered settlement gave rise to autonomous administrative sections. The village and nine hamlets, among them Le Cerneux-Godat and Biaufond, now make up the municipality.[1][2]
History of Les Bois
1484. First mention of the place, as « Des Boix ».[1]
1596. The community, until then attached to the parish of Montfaucon, now depends on that of Le Noirmont.[1]
1619. Foundation of the parish of Les Bois, whose boundaries match those of the municipality.[1]
1627. Construction of the Sainte-Foy church.[1]
1636. The municipality suffers the effects of the Thirty Years' War. A cemetery for plague victims is laid out.[1]
1714. The priest Jean Baulme founds the hospice and leaves his fortune to the sick and the needy.[1]
1770. The census shows about 40 % of the working population in textiles, 29 % in farming and 16 % in woodworking; 13 workers are already in watchmaking, introduced by Girard and Froidevaux.[1]
1792. End of its belonging to the lordship of the Franches-Montagnes.[1]
1793-1814. Les Bois belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.
1815. The inhabitants of Le Cerneux-Godat try without success to form a municipality. A further attempt, also in vain, follows in 1871.[1]
1815-1978. The municipality is part of the bailiwick, then of the Bernese district of the Franches-Montagnes.[1]
1832. The Sainte-Foy church is rebuilt.[1]
19th century. Rise of watchmaking: home work gives way to workshops. The number of administrative sections falls from ten to two.[1]
1979. Les Bois becomes part of the new canton of Jura.
1990. 41 % of the workforce is in the secondary sector, 29 % in the primary and 30 % in the tertiary. The population has fallen sharply over a century because of emigration to La Chaux-de-Fonds.[1]
Population of Les Bois
Sources and references: [1]
| 1818 | 1'060 |
| 1850 | 1'339 |
| 1870 | 1'697 |
| 1900 | 1'456 |
| 1950 | 1'064 |
| 1980 | 917 |
| 2000 | 1'029 |
| 2010 | 1'164 |
| 2025 | 1'246 |
Historic sites in Les Bois
Sainte-Foy church. Built in 1627, shortly after the parish was founded (1619), and rebuilt in 1832. It is cultural property of regional importance.[1][3]
Hospice of Les Bois. Founded by the priest Jean Baulme, who in 1714 left his fortune to the sick and the needy.[1]
Le Cerneux-Godat. Hamlet of the municipality whose inhabitants tried without success, in 1815 and again in 1871, to form a municipality of their own.[1]
Biaufond. Hamlet on the border between France and the cantons of Jura and Neuchâtel, partly on Neuchâtel territory. A glassworks operated there from 1747 to 1793.[2]
Legends of Les Bois
Jean Ruedin, the first settler. According to tradition, one of the first settlers, Jean Ruedin, gave his name to the place, long called « Les Bois Jean Ruedin ».[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Les Bois (JU) » (Claude Rebetez)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Biaufond » (Claude Rebetez), version du 21.11.2002
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population (OFPP), Inventaire PBC, liste cantonale du canton du Jura (état au 1.1.2026)
- Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Les Bois »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Les Bois
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