Malleray
Origin of the name Malleray
Malleray appears in 1179 as « Malareia », and German speakers called it Mallaraya. The name remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Malleray
Malleray lies on the Birse, in the Tavannes valley. The village belonged to the mayoralty of the provostry of Moutier-Grandval, a bailiwick of the prince-bishopric of Basel. A noble family of Malleray, possibly a junior branch of the Tavannes, is recorded there in the 14th and 15th centuries, and the Marschalk of Delémont owned property in the village in the 15th century. For worship Malleray belongs to the parish of Bévilard and its church of Saint-Georges. Malleray is now part of the municipality of Valbirse (merger of 2015).[1]
History of Malleray
1179. The village is mentioned as « Malareia ».[1]
1367. The troops of the bishop of Basel, Jean de Vienne, who wanted to force Biel to give up its co-citizenship with Bern, are beaten at Malleray by men of Solothurn who had come to support the Bernese.[1]
1531-1571. Malleray belongs to the parish of Court, before moving to that of Bévilard.[1]
1571. The bishop has a tithe barn built at Malleray.[1]
Late 16th century. The provost of Moutier-Grandval holds the mill of Malleray as a fief from the bishop, until the bishop buys back the chapter's seigneurial rights.[1]
1797-1813. Malleray belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible and then Haut-Rhin.[1]
1815. The village passes to the canton of Bern, in the bailiwick and later the district of Moutier.[1]
1846. The watch industry settles in Malleray.[1]
1874-1877. The Tavannes-Moutier railway line is built. Malleray-Bévilard station opens in 1877.[1][3]
1893. The tithe barn of 1571 is destroyed.[1]
2005. Industry provides more than half the jobs, in machinery, precision tools, bar turning and watchmaking.[1]
2014. On 18 May the merger of Malleray with Bévilard and Pontenet is decided by popular vote.[2]
2015. On 1 January Malleray becomes part of the municipality of Valbirse.[1][2]
Population of Malleray
Sources and references: [1]
| 1850 | 471 |
| 1900 | 1'224 |
| 1950 | 1'435 |
| 1970 | 1'969 |
| 2000 | 1'854 |
| 2010 | 1'922 |
| 2014 | 1'958 |
Historic sites in Malleray
Malleray-Bévilard station. Station shared by the two neighbouring villages, opened in 1877 on the Basel-Delémont-Biel line.[3]
Remains in Malleray
The bishop's tithe barn. Built in 1571 to hold the tithes of the bishop of Basel, it was destroyed in 1893.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Malleray » (Pierre-Olivier Léchot), version du 15.01.2026
- Direction de l'intérieur et de la justice du canton de Berne, liste des projets de fusion de communes (état juin 2026)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bévilard » (François Wisard), version du 15.01.2026
Other villages near Malleray
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