A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres

Vernoux-en-Gâtine

by Sue Burgess

Vernoux-en-Gâtine is at situated between Parthenay, Niort, La Châtaigneraie and Bressuire. The commune has a school with a nursery, a bakery with a small grocery shop, a restaurant, a car repairs garage and a good network of craftsmen. There are walks to enjoy in the magnificent park on the banks of the Sèvre Nantaise river and along its footpaths. There is a dynamic network of associations. The name Vernoux comes from "verne", a Gallic word for alder. The suffix of the Latin name, vernolium, is of Celtic origin. This means that the commune is built on the site of a very old settlement. The spelling of the commune’s name has varied throughout the ages.

Vernus in 1102. Vernolium in 1162. Vernol or Vernus in 1173. Vernou in 1267. Notre-Dame de Vernou in 1648. The commune depended on the archpriesthood of Ardin, on the castellany of Parthenay, on the sénéchaussée and the election of Poitiers. The parish priest was appointed by the abbot of Bourgueil (see below). There were 325 inhabitants in 1750.

In the 11th century the church of Vernoux was given to the abbey of Bourgueil (37) by the bishop of Poitiers. In 1102 Bishop Pierre II confirmed the ownership of the church of Vernoux with the abbey of Bourgueil. In 1442, the farms of the land of Vernoux-en-Gâtine had the right to sell wine, cattle and hens, fleeces and millet. In 1609, the owner of Puy Guitonneau (Vernoux-enGâtine) was in charge of high, medium and low justice and administered it.

In 1741 in Vernoux, the same fabrics were made as in Secondigny. There were twenty manufacturers, four looms, & four mills. In 1766 written traces of a seizure of work and goods relating to impositions and taxes can be found. The commune received indemnities for the costs of mustering men who went to fight against the rebels of the Vendée. Some youngsters who were on the side of the Vendéens were arrested in 1799. There is written evidence referring to an incursion of Vendéen brigands into Vernoux. No houses were burned during the Vendée war, but 60 houses were ruined, and 100 cattle or horses were stolen. In 1812 there were 6 wine merchants on the commune. In that year the population of the commune was 1338 people.

There is a story of a legal case concerning the priest who gave catechism lessons during school hours in 1900.

Seven kilometres from the town centre, the hamlet of La Fazilière has a history closely linked to basket-making. This village of ancient basket makers was founded by gypsies. The baskets that they made were then sold to the sardine producers on the Vendée coast.

The wash house and its basin, known as the "trempou" in local dialect, remain from this period. During the manufacture of baskets, the basket makers soaked the branches of the chestnut tree in the basin. A history that can still be read today by following a small interpretative trail starting from the washhouse. This is an opportunity to discover that almost every house in the village has a private oven. It is here that the basket makers heated the wood so they could bend it and make the baskets. An association, "L'amicale des anciens vanniers" known as "Les Penassous" has been created to promote and safeguard this heritage of yesteryear.

To understand the reputation (good or bad) of La Fazilière, you have to understand its history and its way of life, which, in a way, still exists but, of course, differently. Located on the "heights" of Vernoux-en-Gâtine, to which it is administratively attached, this small village has managed to keep some vestiges of the life of many years ago. At the end of 1800, 120,000 baskets were made per year. It is said that they were started by gypsy basket makers who had left from the Persian Gulf and made their way up to Poitiers. In La Fazilière, they found everything they needed (springs of water and chestnut trees) to settle down, work and earn enough to live on. They managed to make themselves known over an area far beyond the limits of the region and that is why, at the end of the 1800s, 120,000 baskets were being made at La Fazilière. These baskets, with their funny shape, were intended for the sardine fishermen of the Atlantic coast. The fishermen

placed ferns at the bottom of the baskets and laid their sardines head to tail.

Initially the baskets were transported by oxcart, then by train from Saint-Laurs station. All the inhabitants of the village worked on this activity, which involved several stages. The baskets were made from seven-year-old chestnut coppice, cut in November, then split by hand and sorted. In February, the wood strands were fired in ovens resembling bread ovens. The wood was then soaked in basins, called soakers, for two to three months before the work was completed by the making of the baskets, a stage often reserved for the women. In the 19th century, La Fazilière had some 350 inhabitants. The houses were homes to families of about ten people (several generations lived together) and the village was lively to say the least... Evenings, once the orders had been fulfilled, ended with songs around the fire and each house took part. In 1940, with 300 inhabitants, there were still forty or so basket makers and the village boasted a number of traders (three cafés, including a café-tabac, a wheelwright, a blacksmith, two grocery shops, a baker, a clog maker, a school and several masons). In 1950, 12,000 baskets were still being made. But wooden and then plastic crates meant that the orders for baskets gradually disappeared.

Today, things have of course changed, especially after the death in 2013, at the age of 91, of the last basket maker in the village, Yvonne Siraud. There are still traces of this past, with, among others, the wash house, the soaking tub (or trempou), and the Penassous association (penasse = basket) has succeeded in restoring the forge, the imposing oven (both in working order). Walkers can still see the remains of ovens that were used to dry wood.

Some parts of the commune are likely to be affected by the risk of flooding from overflowing rivers, in particular the Sèvre Nantaise and the Saumort. The commune was recognised as a natural disaster area due to the damage caused by the floods and mudslides that occurred in 1982, 1983, 1995, 1999 and 2010.

The shrinkage and swelling of clay soils is likely to cause significant damage to buildings in the event of alternating periods of drought and rain. The commune was recognised as a natural disaster due to damage caused by ground movements in 1999 and 2010.

In several parts of the country, radon, accumulated in certain dwellings or other premises, can constitute a significant source of exposure of the population to ionising radiation. According to the 2018 classification, the commune of Vernoux-en-Gâtine is classified as zone 3, i.e. a zone with significant radon potential.

At 240 metres above sea level, the Moulin du Chêne windmill proudly spreads its sails over the green countryside of Vernoux-en-Gâtine, just a stone's throw from Le Beugnon. Fully restored between 2014 and 2016 by the association Redouna daus ales à la Gâtine, which had became the owner of the property. Before that, the building was an empty shell fortunately protected by a tin roof, which preserved it from most of the weather. The mechanisms are equivalent to those used in 1850. 500,000 € were raised to pay for the renovations, with the help of patrons and the support of the Fondation du patrimoine.

This beautiful, well-restored mill is located on the road that leads from Vernoux en Gâtine to La Fazilière, near the place known as La Barbière.

Flour is produced at the mill and the flour can be bought in the local bakery and in L’Inattendu in L’Absie. It is also sold directly at the mill which used to be open for visits, although it has been closed recently so please check details before setting off.

Fontenioux castle was one of the remarkable elements of the commune's heritage. It was built in 1850 for a certain Alfred de Savignac. This construction cost him the modest sum of 50,000 francs at the time. But the castle did not stay in the family. The heirs went bankrupt. The castle was bought back in 1914. Two property dealers bought it. It is fair to say that the two men had no interest in the built heritage. They found it more profitable to dismantle the castles they bought and sell the materials. After destroying the Château des Loges in Parthenay, they tackled Fontenioux castle. So fewer than 70 years after its construction, the castle of Vernoux-en-Gâtine disappeared.

A Voir / Must See

Notre Dame Church To understand the layout of the church, you have to

walk around it. It is clear that the church was originally surrounded by the cemetery. A funeral chapel still remains in the square. The tombstone of Abbé François Codeau is inserted in the wall to the right of the south side door of the church. He was born on 16 Germinal 1800 and died on 21 February 1874. He was the priest of Vernoux from 1828 to 1874.

The bays of the church are buttressed. One of the buttresses is different from the others.

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December 2022