Peyres-Possens
Origin of the name Peyres-Possens
The name Peyres-Possens combines two old and distinct place names. Peyres appears in 1200 in the form «Pairi», while Possens is mentioned in 1230 in the form «Pussens». The two hamlets, separated by the Maison de Commune, long formed an entity recorded as «Peyres-et-Possens»; the disappearance of the «et» in written usage is said to have occurred before the First World War, information to be cross-checked. Despite their administrative union, the inhabitants have kept an identity specific to each hamlet, calling themselves either «from Peyres» or «from Possens».
Founding of Peyres-Possens
Peyres and Possens developed as two distinct hamlets on a plateau of the central Jorat overlooking the right bank of the Mentue. No planned foundation is documented: like most villages in this region, they formed gradually around their agricultural land, under the seigneurial authority of the cathedral chapter of Lausanne, on which the castellany of Dommartin depended, to which the two communities were attached in the Middle Ages. Under Bernese rule, from 1536 to 1798, they fell under the mandement of Dommartin, within the bailiwick of Lausanne. The exact date on which Peyres and Possens were united into a single municipality could not be established with certainty from the sources consulted: the available demographic statistics already treat the two localities as a single administrative entity from 1764, which indicates that this union goes back at least to the Ancien Régime, if not to an earlier period. This information is to be cross-checked.
History of Peyres-Possens
1200. First attested mention of the hamlet of Peyres, under the name «Pairi».
1230. First attested mention of the hamlet of Possens, under the name «Pussens».
Middle Ages. The two hamlets of Peyres and Possens depend on the castellany of Dommartin, itself attached to the cathedral chapter of Lausanne.
1536-1798. Under Bernese rule, Peyres and Possens fall under the mandement of Dommartin, within the bailiwick of Lausanne.
1753. Construction of the rural part of a farm, whose dwelling would be rebuilt later, in 1885.
1764. First known demographic statistic for the entity of Peyres-Possens: 115 inhabitants. The precise date on which the two hamlets were united into a single municipality remains uncertain in the available sources; this union seems already effective by this date. Information to be cross-checked.
1794. Construction of a house bearing the carved initials «IP * Iq», which has remained uninhabited since around 1927.
1798. With the fall of the Ancien Régime and the creation of the canton of Vaud, Peyres-Possens joins the new district of Moudon.
1857. Commissioning of a tile works, one of the few pre-industrial installations of this kind to have survived in the region.
1883. Founding of a dairy cooperative.
1885. Reconstruction of the farm dwelling, whose rural part dated from 1753.
1925. Official adoption of the municipal coat of arms by decree of 10 February.
1927. The municipality takes up the coat of arms of Dommartin, on which it depended in the Middle Ages, deliberately reversing the heraldic colours.
1944. Commissioning of a brick factory at the place called Plan Champ.
2008. Peyres-Possens leaves the district of Moudon, abolished during the Vaud territorial reform, to join the new district of Gros-de-Vaud.
2013. On 1 January, Peyres-Possens merges with the municipalities of Chanéaz, Chapelle-sur-Moudon, Correvon, Denezy, Martherenges, Neyruz-sur-Moudon, Saint-Cierges and Thierrens to form the new municipality of Montanaire.
Population of Peyres-Possens
| 1764 | 115 |
| 1850 | 164 |
| 1880 | 134 |
| 1900 | 167 |
| 1941 | 110 |
| 1960 | 147 |
| 1980 | 107 |
| 2000 | 143 |
| 2010 | 158 |
| 2021 | 128 |
Historic sites in Peyres-Possens
The hamlets of Peyres and Possens. The village is made up of two distinct hamlets, separated by the Maison de Commune. Despite their long-standing administrative union, the inhabitants have kept a distinct identity, calling themselves «from Peyres» or «from Possens». Information to be cross-checked.
The Maison de Commune. Building that marks the physical separation between the hamlets of Peyres and Possens and serves as an identity landmark for the two village communities. Information to be cross-checked.
La Montagne. Highest point of the municipal territory, at an altitude of 793 metres, with a view of the Jura. The lowest point of the territory, at 597 metres, lies where the Mentue flows. Information to be cross-checked.
Remains in Peyres-Possens
The tile works (since 1857). Tile factory commissioned around 1857, considered a rare example of a still-preserved pre-industrial establishment in the region. It formerly employed numerous workers.
The Plan Champ brick factory (since 1944). Industrial installation linked to the production of building materials, commissioned in 1944.
The wooden granary from Corserey. Former wooden granary, originally built at Corserey, which was dismantled and then re-erected at Peyres-Possens. Its precise dating and the circumstances of its transfer remain to be cross-checked.
The 1794 house. House bearing the carved initials «IP * Iq», which has remained uninhabited since around 1927.
The neighbouring farm. Farm whose rural part dates from 1753, with a dwelling rebuilt in 1885.
Sources
- Emmanuel Abetel, « Peyres-Possens », Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (version du 04.01.2017)
- Wikipédia, « Peyres-Possens »
- Commune de Montanaire, « Les 9 villages qui forment Montanaire »
- Office fédéral de la statistique, Bilan démographique et évolution de la population 1850-2000
- Daniel Glauser, Les maisons rurales du canton de Vaud IV : Du Gros-de-Vaud à la Broye, Bâle, coll. « Les maisons rurales de Suisse » 19, ISBN 3-908122-78-3
- Olivier Dessemontet et Louis F. Nicollier, Armorial des communes vaudoises, Lausanne, Spes
- Annexe à l'arrêté relatif aux armoiries communales, 10 février 1925
Other villages near Peyres-Possens
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