Montherod

Canton of Vaud · District: Morges · 521 inhabitants at the 2020 census, the last full year before the merger with Aubonne.

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Montherod

The name of the place first appears in texts around 1344, in the form «Monterot», then in 1349 in the form «Montherod». According to a hypothesis reported by a single source consulted (not confirmed by the Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse), the place name would associate «Mont» with a surname, perhaps that of Turoldus, the presumed author or copyist of the Chanson de Roland; this etymological lead would deserve to be cross-checked with specialized toponymic studies before being considered established.

Founding of Montherod

No founding act of Montherod has been preserved. The oldest trace of an organized community in this territory is the mention of a local religious confraternity, attested as early as 1307, which merged with the village community at the end of the 15th century, suggesting the existence of a settlement core even before the first written mention of the place name, in 1344. From this date on, Montherod was part of the seigneury of Aubonne, whose château had controlled since the 12th century the crossing of the river Aubonne on the Étraz road; this seigneury came under the direct possession of the House of Savoy in 1255, before the whole territory, including Montherod, entered the Bernese orbit with the creation of the bailiwick of Aubonne in 1701. Montherod thus does not result from a single founding act, but formed gradually as a rural community dependent first on the seigneury, then on the bailiwick, of Aubonne.

History of Montherod

1307. First known mention of a local religious confraternity at Montherod.

Around 1344. First attested written mention of the place, in the form «Monterot»; the village is at this time part of the seigneury of Aubonne.

1349. The name appears in the form «Montherod» (according to a single source consulted for this precise date, to be cross-checked).

Late 15th century. The local religious confraternity, attested since 1307, merges with the village community of Montherod.

1408. According to a single source consulted, the village then had eight households; this figure would deserve to be cross-checked with other local history studies.

1701. The territory of Aubonne, on which Montherod depends, becomes a Bernese bailiwick; the bailiff settles in the château of Aubonne, rebuilt for this purpose.

1764. Census: 168 inhabitants in Montherod.

1794. According to a single source consulted, a clandestine workshop is said to have manufactured forged French assignats at Montherod, at the instigation of the British ambassador in Berne; this episode would deserve to be cross-checked with other historical sources before being considered established.

1798. With the fall of the Ancien Régime and the advent of the Helvetic Republic, the bailiwick of Aubonne becomes the district of Aubonne, to which Montherod belongs.

1850. Census: 324 inhabitants.

1900. Census: 265 inhabitants.

1930. According to a single source consulted, official creation of the communal coat of arms of Montherod ("gules three ears of wheat or in fess"), taking up the colours of Aubonne while also evoking local agricultural activity.

1950. Census: 221 inhabitants.

1974. Opening, in the Vallon de l'Aubonne, of the Arboretum wood museum, devoted to the tools and trades of wood and forestry.

2000. Census: 439 inhabitants.

31 August 2006. The district of Aubonne is abolished as part of the territorial reform of the canton of Vaud; Montherod joins the new district of Morges.

2010. Census: 544 inhabitants.

1 January 2021. Montherod merges with the municipality of Aubonne and loses its status as an independent municipality, after about seven centuries of documented existence.

Population of Montherod

168

1764

324

1850

265

1900

221

1950

439

2000

544

2010

521

2020

Historic sites in Montherod

Church of Montherod. Building dedicated to Saint Apre, formerly attached to the chapter of Geneva; it becomes an annexe of the Reformed parish of Aubonne at the time of the Protestant Reformation.

Former mill on the Armary. Former mill powered by the waters of the Armary, a small stream that crosses the village's territory before joining the river Aubonne.

Arboretum wood museum. Housed since 1974 in the Vallon de l'Aubonne, on the upper floor of the Plan farmhouse, this museum preserves more than 6000 items, of which about 1500 are on display, either permanently or during temporary exhibitions, devoted to the traditional tools and trades of wood and forestry.

Remains in Montherod

Cup-marked stone. The Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse records a cup-marked stone on the territory of the former municipality. This type of block engraved with small circular cavities generally dates back to Prehistory or Protohistory, but no precise dating was found in the sources consulted for this example; this information would deserve to be cross-checked with a specific archaeological study.

Traces of early occupation (to be confirmed). According to a single source consulted, archaeological objects found on the village's territory would attest to a human presence as early as Antiquity. This claim, not confirmed by the Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse nor by other independent sources, would deserve to be cross-checked with precise archaeological publications before being presented as established.

Sources

Other villages near Montherod

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