Balleroy

Balleroy (French pronunciation ) is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Balleroy-sur-Drôme.[2]

Balleroy
Part of Balleroy-sur-Drôme
A street in Balleroy
Coat of arms
Location of Balleroy
Balleroy
Balleroy
Coordinates: 49°10′53″N 0°50′13″W
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementBayeux
CantonTrévières
CommuneBalleroy-sur-Drôme
Area
1
4.23 km2 (1.63 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
962
 • Density230/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code
14490
Elevation49–131 m (161–430 ft)
(avg. 110 m or 360 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Biardais or Biardaises and Billards or Billardes.[3]

Geography

Balleroy is located some 16 km south-west of Bayeux and 21 km north-east of Saint-Lô. Access to the commune is by the D13 road from Cerisy-la-Forêt in the west which passes through the village and continues east to Lingèvres. The D28 road goes south from the village to Planquery. The commune is mainly farmland with the Château de Balleroy grounds just west of the village occupying a substantial land area.[4]

The river Drôme forms the western and north-western borders of the commune as it flows north-east to eventually join the ocean at Port-en-Bessin-Huppain. The Ruisseau de la Commune flows from the west to join the Drome in the commune. The Vesbire forms the south-eastern border of the commune as it flows south-west to join the Drôme.[4]

History

Until 1521 the commune was the property of the lord of Aunay. The lordship of Balleroy was purchased by the Trextot family. Jean de Choisy, counselor, notary and secretary of the king, in turn bought the lordship of Balleroy as well as the lands of Cormolain, Montfiquet, and Vaubadon. He was the son of Jean de Choisy, intendant of Metz, knight, advisor to the king and the Duke of Orléans, Lord of Balleroy, Beaumont, Grandcamp, Léthanville, and Saint-Pierre and he founded the present chateau. He made the inhabitants near the chateau into vassals, forcing them to build their homes there.

In 1634 the Lord of Balleroy obtained the establishment of a weekly market (on Tuesday) and two fairs a year.

During the French revolutionary period of the National Convention (1792-1795), the commune was called Bal-sur-Drôme.[5]

Heraldry
Arms of Balleroy
 Blazon:

Quarterly: at 1 and 4 Azure, a saltire engrailed of Or cantoned with four roundels the same; at 2 and 3, Argent, three hearts of Gules.

The blazon of quarters 2 and 3 (hearts) is that of the de La Cour de Balleroy family (extinct), the former Marquises of Balleroy.

Administration
Balleroy Town Hall
Balleroy School

Balleroy was part of the Community of communes Intercom Balleroy Le Molay-Littry which included 22 communes and had its seat in Le Molay-Littry.

Balleroy was the seat of the former Canton of Balleroy. Since the 2015 French cantons reform, it is part of the canton of Trévières.

List of Successive Mayors[6]

FromToNamePartyPosition
1850M Villeroy[7]
~1970~1980Pierre Blanchard
20012006Yves Houel
2006[8]2014Denis Legrand
2014[9]2016Gilbert Montaigne

(Not all data is known)

Twinning
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Balleroy has twinning associations with:[10]

Demography

In 2012 the commune had 985 inhabitants.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,228—    
1800 1,176−0.62%
1806 1,391+2.84%
1821 1,326−0.32%
1831 1,267−0.45%
1836 1,395+1.94%
1841 1,310−1.25%
1846 1,291−0.29%
1851 1,311+0.31%
1856 1,244−1.04%
1861 1,286+0.67%
1866 1,284−0.03%
1872 1,220−0.85%
1876 1,114−2.25%
1881 1,124+0.18%
1886 1,110−0.25%
1891 1,103−0.13%
1896 1,085−0.33%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,059−0.48%
1906 1,037−0.42%
1911 1,015−0.43%
1921 913−1.05%
1926 850−1.42%
1931 882+0.74%
1936 836−1.07%
1946 950+1.29%
1954 866−1.15%
1962 829−0.54%
1968 757−1.50%
1975 712−0.87%
1982 720+0.16%
1990 613−1.99%
1999 787+2.82%
2007 757−0.48%
2012 985+5.41%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE[11]
The War Memorial

Culture and heritage
The Chateau de Balleroy

Civil heritage

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:

Chateau of Balleroy Picture Gallery

Religious heritage
The Church of Saint Martin
  • The Parish Church of Saint-Martin Grounds (1650) are registered as an historical monument.[14] The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
    • A Framed Painting: The Alliance between Abimélek and Abraham (17th century)[15]
    • A Framed Painting: The descendant of Abraham (17th century)[16]
    • A Chalice with Paten (17th century)[17]
    • A Statue: Virgin and child (17th century)[18]
    • A Painting: The Annunciation (18th century)[19]
    • An Episcopal Cross (18th century)[20]
    • A Statue: Saint Martin (17th century)[21]
Church of Saint Martin Picture Gallery
  • The Nave
  • Painting: The Descendant of Abraham
  • The Confessional

Activities and events

Each year a gathering of hot air balloons took place at the Château de Balleroy. This gathering took place for the last time in 1999 when Malcolm Forbes, the chateau's owner, would have celebrated his 80th birthday.

Since 2007 in the face of demand from the public, the festival was again held at the end of June but this no longer happens in the castle. This was held by the village festival committee who organized a small gathering. The festivities are now held above the village at the stadium.

Notable people linked to the commune
Count Albert de Balleroy
  • Louis Charles d'Hervilly (1756-1795), Count of Hervilly, knight, Marquis of Leschelles, married Marie Louise Augustine La Cour de Balleroy (1758-1830) on 7 October 1778 at the Château de Balleroy which was the Château for his wife's family.
  • Louis James, from an old Balleroy family (James from Lalande). He left to live in Auxerre (Yonne) where he founded the first modern department store in association with the local merchant Lesseré. As he was unmarried, he brought in a nephew (Achille) and niece (Hortense) to share in the very successful business: it was the time of "Bonheur des Dames" (Happiness of Women). The stores Soisson & James were transferred to Eurodif in 1970.
  • Count Albert de Balleroy (1828-1872), MP for Calvados,[22] painter specialising in hunting scenes, shared a studio on Rue Lavoisier in Paris with Édouard Manet[23]
  • Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990), American press billionaire, owner of the Chateau from 1970.

See also

References
  1. Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017, INSEE
  2. Arrêté préfectoral 23 December 2015 (in French)
  3. Inhabitants of Calvados (in French)
  4. Google Maps
  5. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Balleroy, EHESS. (in French)
  6. List of Mayors of France (in French)
  7. Department of Calvados Annual, 1850, p.364
  8. The Mayor Denis Legrand wins election after the death of Yves Houel, Ouest-France (in French)
  9. The new Mayor Gilbert Montaigne presents his team, Ouest-France, (in French)
  10. National Commission for Decentralised cooperation (in French)
  11. Populations légales 2012, INSEE
  12. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111028 Chateau of Balleroy (in French)
  13. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA14003351 Chateau of Balleroy Park (in French)
  14. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111029 Church Grounds (in French)
  15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14001327 Framed Painting: The Alliance between Abimélek and Abraham (in French)
  16. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14001326 Framed Painting: The descendant of Abraham (in French)
  17. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14000036 Chalice with Paten (in French)
  18. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14000035 Statue: Virgin and child (in French)
  19. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14000034 Painting: The Annunciation (in French)
  20. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14000033 Episcopal Cross (in French)
  21. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM14000032 Statue: Saint Martin (in French)
  22. National Assembly website (in French)
  23. Albert de Balleroy Archive website
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