Trey

Origin of the name Trey

First written mention: «Treis» in 1142/1146. Other forms are recorded later: «Trees» in 1213, «Treys» in 1254 and «Treyz» in 1311 (to be cross-checked). The etymology of the name is not explained in the sources consulted.

Founding of Trey

The sources consulted give neither a founding date nor a founder. The site was occupied long before the Middle Ages: a prehistoric settlement, Bronze Age and La Tène graves and a Roman-period settlement have been found there. In the Middle Ages, the village depended on the priory of Payerne and was administered by a mayor (mestral); a de Trey family appears in the 12th century. The municipality comprises the street village of Trey, on the road from Payerne to Romont, and the hamlet of Granges-sous-Trey, on the road from Lausanne to Bern, on the right bank of the Broye.

History of Trey

prehistory. Prehistoric settlement; Bronze Age and La Tène graves have also been found.

Roman period. Roman-period settlement.

1142/1146. First written mention, in the form «Treis».

12th century. The de Trey family appears; the village depends on the priory of Payerne and is administered by a mayor (mestral).

1309. Start of the gradual break-up of the seigneury.

1536. Start of Bernese rule; Trey belongs to the governorship (bailiwick) of Payerne until 1798. At the Reformation, the village moves from the parish of Torny-le-Petit to that of Granges.

1664. Jacob de Trey sells the last fief to Jean-Louis Loys.

1757-1759. Bern acquires the entire seigneury.

1787-1788. Construction of the temple.

1798. The municipality is assigned to the district of Payerne, until 2006.

1840-1845. Trey is made a parish for the first time.

1864. Trey becomes a parish again, until 1925.

1876. Opening of a railway halt at Granges-sous-Trey.

1886. Opening of the Cornamusaz institute, a renowned boarding school for pupils from German-speaking Switzerland, active until 2001.

1925. Trey is attached to the parish of Villarzel.

1944. In December, during floods of the Broye, the dykes built during the correction of the river at the end of the 19th century give way (to be cross-checked).

1964. Founding of a major horticultural business in the municipality.

2001. Closure of the Cornamusaz institute.

2008. The district of Broye-Vully, created by the new territorial division of Vaud, begins operating on 1 January.

Population of Trey

Population of Trey

1741	21 hearths (households)
1764	176 inhabitants
1803	236 inhabitants
1850	460 inhabitants
1900	442 inhabitants
1950	338 inhabitants
2000	232 inhabitants
2010	257 inhabitants
2020	301 inhabitants
2025	305 inhabitants

Historic sites in Trey

Temple of Trey. Reformed temple built in 1787-1788, at the end of the Bernese period.

Cornamusaz institute. Boarding school founded in 1886, renowned for taking in pupils from German-speaking Switzerland, closed in 2001.

Granges-sous-Trey. Hamlet of the municipality on the right bank of the Broye, where a railway halt was opened in 1876.

Remains in Trey

Archaeological site. Prehistoric settlement, Bronze Age and La Tène graves and a Roman-period settlement discovered on the territory of Trey.

Le Château. Masonry remains at the place called Le Château, which may belong to a medieval motte.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Trey »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Wikipédia, « Trey »

Localities of the municipality with a page

• Granges-sous-Trey

Other villages near Trey

• Granges-sous-Trey (VD)
• Marnand (VD)
• Villarzel (VD)
• Sédeilles (VD)
• Granges-près-Marnand (VD)