Balansun


Balansun is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Geography

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.
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

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

Toponymy

Michel Grosclaude said that the origin of the original name is the Gascon Latin name of a man Valentius with the suffix -unum.
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
NameSpellingDateSourcePageOriginDescription
BalansunBalansun1205Raymond19BérérenxVillage
Balansun13th centuryRaymond19Fors de Béarn
Balansun1323Grosclaude
Balensu1343Raymond20Pardies
Valenssun1385Raymond20Census
Valencin14th centuryRaymond20Froissart
Balanssun1536Raymond20Reformation
Balensun18th centuryGrosclaude
Balensun1750Cassini
Balenzun1793Ldh/EHESS/CassiniAn II
Balensun1801Ldh/EHESS/CassiniBulletin des lois
BellegardeBelegarde1538Raymond27ReformationFarm and Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Friquetla maison de Fricquet1538Raymond65ReformationFief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
LaheuguèreLa Figuere1538Raymond90ReformationFarm
Saint-MartinSent-Marthii1385Raymond150CensusFarm
TresarbresTresarbres1538Raymond168ReformationFief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn, with 400 arpents in 1538

Sources:
  • Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006
  • Raymond:, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table.
  • Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750
  • Ldh/EHESS/Cassini:
Origins:

History

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

List of Successive Mayors
FromToName
17921794Pierre Cazaban
17941795Jean Bousque
17951797Arnaud Tisnerot
17971800Jacques Vispalie
18001803Jean Bouisque
18031804Arnaud Casaux
18041814Arnaud Tisnerot
18141816Jean Moureu
18161821Boniface Thimothée Desbordes-Louboey
18211826Jean Tisnerot
18261832Jean Cammau
18321837Léonard Moureu
18371841Jean Caubet
18411848Jacques Vispalie
18481858Léonard Moureu
18581871Pierre Lescurat
18711886Jean Paraige
18861896Jean Debaig
18961900Jean Baptiste Daugarou
19001912Jean Debaig
19121942Jean Maubecq

;Mayors from 1942
FromToName
19421944Jean Baptiste Daugarou
19441946Pierre Temboury
19461977Alfred Debaig
19771995Jean Sautie
19952001Marie-Thérèse Maubecq
20012014Anny Furbeyre
20142026Bénédicte Alcetegaray

Inter-communality

The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:

Demography

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

Economy

Economic activity is mainly agricultural.

Sites and monuments

The Parish Church of the Assumption of Notre-Dame is registered as an historical monument.

Facilities

The commune has a primary school which is grouped in an RPI with the primary school in Castétis.