Balansun (French pronunciation: [balɑ̃sœ̃]; Occitan: Valensun) is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Balansun
The centre of the village of Balansun
The centre of the village of Balansun
Location of Balansun
Map
Balansun is located in France
Balansun
Balansun
Balansun is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Balansun
Balansun
Coordinates: 43°29′33″N 0°41′51″W / 43.4925°N 0.6975°W / 43.4925; -0.6975
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementPau
CantonArtix et Pays de Soubestre
IntercommunalityLacq-Orthez
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Bénédicte Alcetegaray[1]
Area
1
10.73 km2 (4.14 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
308
 • Density29/km2 (74/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64088 /64300
Elevation84–208 m (276–682 ft)
(avg. 112 m or 367 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Balansun is a commune in the former province of Béarn located some 6 km east of Orthez and 4 km north of Argagnon. Access to the commune is by the D946 road from Arthez-de-Béarn in the east which passes through the centre of the commune south of the village and continues south-west to join the D817 west of Castétis. Access to the village is by the Chemin de l'Eglise which branches north off the D946 on the western side of the commune. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.[3]

The commune is located in the Drainage basin of the Adour with the Ruisseau de Clamondé forming the southern border of the commune as it flows west to join the Gave de Pau west of Castetis. Three streams flow through the commune from east to west into the Ruisseau de Clamondé gathering many tributaries in the commune/

Places and hamlets

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  • Barran
  • Bélou
  • Bergerayre
  • Bernadou
  • Bidau
  • Bordes
  • Bourroua
  • Bousque
  • Cabalé
  • Cabanne
  • Cantegrith
  • Cantonnier
  • Carsuzaa
  • Chou
  • Cousiner
  • Craber
  • Crabérou
  • Friquet[4]
  • Garly
  • Heugarès
  • Lacabanne
  • Laheuguère[4]
  • Larribau
  • Lasserre
  • Lay
  • Loup
  • Loustalet
  • Massioo
  • Menaut
  • Menusé
  • Millet
  • Moncaud
  • Monhort
  • Naudou
  • Rouby
  • Saint-Martin[4]
  • Sarraillot
  • Sautié
  • Tisnérot
  • Touyarot
  • Trotemenut

Neighbouring communes and villages

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Toponymy

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Michel Grosclaude said that the origin of the original name is the Gascon Latin name of a man Valentius with the suffix -unum.[5]

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

Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description
Balansun Balansun 1205 Raymond
19
Bérérenx Village
Balansun 13th century Raymond
19
Fors de Béarn
Balansun 1323 Grosclaude
Balensu 1343 Raymond
20
Pardies
Valenssun 1385 Raymond
20
Census
Valencin 14th century Raymond
20
Froissart
Balanssun 1536 Raymond
20
Reformation
Balensun 18th century Grosclaude
Balensun 1750 Cassini
Balenzun 1793 Ldh/EHESS/Cassini An II
Balensun 1801 Ldh/EHESS/Cassini Bulletin des lois
Bellegarde Belegarde 1538 Raymond
27
Reformation Farm and Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Friquet la maison de Fricquet 1538 Raymond
65
Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Laheuguère La Figuere 1538 Raymond
90
Reformation Farm
Saint-Martin Sent-Marthii 1385 Raymond
150
Census Farm
Tresarbres Tresarbres 1538 Raymond
168
Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn, with 400 arpents in 1538

Sources:

Origins:

History

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Paul Raymond noted that on page 20 of his 1863 dictionary that the fief of Balansun was a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn and, in 1385, had 27 fires depending on the bailiwick of Pau.

Administration

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List of Successive Mayors[12]

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1942
From To Name
1792 1794 Pierre Cazaban
1794 1795 Jean Bousque
1795 1797 Arnaud Tisnerot
1797 1800 Jacques Vispalie
1800 1803 Jean Bouisque
1803 1804 Arnaud Casaux
1804 1814 Arnaud Tisnerot
1814 1816 Jean Moureu
1816 1821 Boniface Thimothée Desbordes-Louboey
1821 1826 Jean Tisnerot
1826 1832 Jean Cammau
1832 1837 Léonard Moureu
1837 1841 Jean Caubet
1841 1848 Jacques Vispalie
1848 1858 Léonard Moureu
1858 1871 Pierre Lescurat
1871 1886 Jean Paraige
1886 1896 Jean Debaig
1896 1900 Jean Baptiste Daugarou
1900 1912 Jean Debaig
1912 1942 Jean Maubecq
Mayors from 1942
From To Name
1942 1944 Jean Baptiste Daugarou
1944 1946 Pierre Temboury
1946 1977 Alfred Debaig
1977 1995 Jean Sautie
1995 2001 Marie-Thérèse Maubecq
2001 2014 Anny Furbeyre
2014 2026 Bénédicte Alcetegaray

Inter-communality

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The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:

  • the Communauté de communes de Lacq-Orthez;
  • the SIVU of Balansun/Castétis;
  • the water and sanitation association of Trois Cantons;
  • the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;

Demography

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balansenais or Balansenaises in French.[13]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 441—    
1800 335−3.85%
1806 507+7.15%
1821 486−0.28%
1831 613+2.35%
1836 569−1.48%
1841 578+0.31%
1846 574−0.14%
1851 375−8.16%
1856 374−0.05%
1861 329−2.53%
1866 305−1.50%
1872 276−1.65%
1876 271−0.46%
1881 265−0.45%
1886 270+0.37%
1891 269−0.07%
1896 254−1.14%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 233−1.71%
1906 231−0.17%
1911 219−1.06%
1921 219+0.00%
1926 223+0.36%
1931 194−2.75%
1936 214+1.98%
1946 200−0.67%
1954 203+0.19%
1962 177−1.70%
1968 202+2.23%
1975 206+0.28%
1982 215+0.61%
1990 209−0.35%
1999 207−0.11%
2007 234+1.54%
2012 279+3.58%
2017 287+0.57%
Source: EHESS[14] and INSEE[15]

Economy

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Economic activity is mainly agricultural (livestock).

Sites and monuments

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The Parish Church of the Assumption of Notre-Dame (1850)  is registered as an historical monument.[16]

Facilities

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The commune has a primary school which is grouped in an RPI (Intercommunal Educational Grouping) with the primary school in Castétis.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Google Maps
  4. ^ a b c d Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
  5. ^ a b Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, p. 293 ISBN 2-35068-005-3(in French)
  6. ^ Cassini Map 1750 – Balansun
  7. ^ Titles of the commune of Bérérenx in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  8. ^ Manuscript from the 14th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  9. ^ Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  10. ^ Manuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  11. ^ Manuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  12. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  13. ^ Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
  14. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Balansun, EHESS (in French).
  15. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  16. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000623 Parish Church of the Assumption of Notre-Dame (in French)
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