Villars-Lussery
Origin of the name Villars-Lussery
The name Villars-Lussery comes from the Latin villare (rural estate, farm), with a qualifier added to distinguish it from the many other « Villars » in the Vaud region. The first written mention dates from 1377, in the form « Villar proche Luxurie », literally « the Villar near Lussery » (still to be cross-checked). The current compound name reflects this immediate proximity, less than a kilometre, to the neighbouring village of Lussery, with which Villars-Lussery long shared a single seigneury before becoming administratively distinct, then reuniting with it in 1999.
Founding of Villars-Lussery
Like its neighbour Lussery, Villars-Lussery has no identified individual founder: the village took shape gradually around a rural estate, probably as early as the early Middle Ages. At the end of the 13th century, a seigneury forms at the place, then belonging to the house of Joux (still to be cross-checked). The village then appears as a fief of the de Grandson family during the Middle Ages, before passing in 1542 to the de Gingins family. Although Villars-Lussery and Lussery long formed one and the same seigneury, with common justice and feudal court until their administrative separation in 1798, the two villages are distinguished by their parish affiliation: even before the Reformation, Villars belonged to the parish of Eclépens, then to that of La Sarraz, while Lussery gravitated around Cossonay (still to be cross-checked). This distinct orientation partly explains why the two twin villages, though less than a kilometre apart, retained their own identity until their administrative merger in 1999.
History of Villars-Lussery
Late 13th century. Formation of a seigneury at the place of Villars-Lussery, then belonging to the house of Joux (still to be cross-checked).
Middle Ages. The village is a fief of the de Grandson family (still to be cross-checked).
1377. First written mention of the place, in the form « Villar proche Luxurie ».
1542. The seigneury of Villars-Lussery passes to the de Gingins family.
1536-1597. After the Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud, Villars-Lussery is administered from the bailiwick of Moudon, a jurisdiction distinct from that of Lussery (still to be cross-checked).
1598-1798. The village comes under the administration of the bailiwick of Romainmôtier.
1626. Dismantling of the barony of La Sarraz, on which the seigneury of Villars-Lussery had until then depended.
1664. On the death of Albert I de Gingins, the seigneury is divided among his sons; Villars-Lussery becomes the portion of his second son, David-François de Gingins (still to be cross-checked).
1674. End of the union of the lands of Villars-Lussery with those of Eclépens, which had until then formed an income for a junior branch of the de Gingins family.
1743. Villars-Lussery is reunited with the fiefs of Eclépens and Lussery within a single seigneury.
1798. Administrative separation of Villars-Lussery and Lussery, which had until then formed a single entity with common justice and feudal court; the village enters the district of Cossonay.
1798-1803. During the Helvetic Republic, the village belongs to the canton of Léman, before joining the canton of Vaud with the Act of Mediation of 1803.
1990s. Construction of a Reformed church between the two former villages, marking the rapprochement between Villars-Lussery and Lussery before their administrative merger.
1999. On 1 January, Villars-Lussery merges with Lussery to form the new commune of Lussery-Villars.
2006-2008. The district of Cossonay is dissolved in 2006; Lussery-Villars then joins the new district of Gros-de-Vaud (exact year of the switch still to be cross-checked).
Population of Villars-Lussery
| 1550 | 3 hearths (number of inhabitants not specified by the source) |
| 1764 | 49 |
| 1798 | 54 |
| 1850 | 83 |
| 1900 | 97 |
| 1950 | 85 |
| 1990 | 90 |
| 1997 | 156 (still to be cross-checked, last known figure just before the 1999 merger) |
Historic sites in Villars-Lussery
The Bell House (La Maison à la cloche). Historic building located in the former village of Villars-Lussery, bearing a bell that gave it its name (still to be cross-checked).
The Fusion Path (Le chemin de la Fusion). Village street bearing this symbolic name, recalling the 1999 administrative union between Villars-Lussery and Lussery (still to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (HLS/DHS) - Villars-Lussery
- Wikipédia DE - Villars-Lussery
- Wikipédia FR - Lussery-Villars
- Wikipédia EN - Lussery-Villars
- Site officiel de la commune de Lussery-Villars - Histoire
- Office fédéral de la statistique - Évolution de la population des communes 1850-2000
Other villages near Villars-Lussery
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change