Barinque

Barinque is located on a steep hill overlooking the Souye valley, some 15 kilometres north-east of Pau and 7 km south-east of Auriac in the Vic-Bihl region. Access to the commune is by the D222 road from Higuères-Souye in the south which goes north through the west of the commune to the village then continues east to join the D43 which forms the south-eastern border of the commune as it goes from Escoubès in the east to Saint-Jammes in the south. There are large areas of forest in the south of the commune and scattered forests in the commune however most of the commune is farmland.[4]

The Luy de France flows from the south forming the entire western border of the commune before continuing north to eventually join the Luy north of Castel-Sarrazin. The Souye river flows from south to north-west through the heart of the commune joining the Luy de France on the western border of the commune. The Ruisseau de Cimpceu rises east of the village and flows north to join the Gabas west of Sévignacq.[4]

The commune name in béarnais is Barinco (pronounced Barincou). Michel Grosclaude concluded that the name is of Occitan origin with the meaning "slope towards a ravine",[9] following Dauzat and Rostaing who offered a Gaulish and pre-Gaulish root barr- meaning "height" or "summit" with the suffix -incum.[10]

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

Sources:

• Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 (in French)[9]
• Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. (in French)[11]
• EHESS: Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Barinque, EHESS. (in French)

Origins:

• Census: Census of Béarn[12]
• Reformation: Reformation of Béarn[13]
• Barinque: Titles of Barinque[14]

Countryside in Barinque

Paul Raymond noted on page 21 of his 1863 dictionary that Barinque had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn. In 1385 Barinque had 15 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Pau.[11]

Barinque was part of the Barony of Navailles in the Middle Ages.[15]

The commune was part of the Arch-Deaconry of Vic-Bilh which depended on the Bishop of Lescar and Lembeye was the capital.[11]

Barinque appears as Barinque on the 1750 Cassini Map[16] but as Barringue on the 1790 version.[17]

List of Successive Mayors[18]

(Not all data is known)

In 2017 the commune had 606 inhabitants.

The War Memorial

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department