Baliracq-Maumusson

Baliracq-Maumusson
Commune
Entry to Baliracq
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Coordinates: 43°32′48″N 0°15′14″W / 43.5467°N 0.2539°W / 43.5467; -0.2539Coordinates: 43°32′48″N 0°15′14″W / 43.5467°N 0.2539°W / 43.5467; -0.2539
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Pau
Canton	Terres des Luys et Coteaux du Vic-Bilh
Intercommunality	Luys en Béarn
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Sylvain Sergent
Area 1	6.06 km2 (2.34 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2018)[1]	121
• Density	20/km2 (52/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	64090 /64330
Elevation	120–224 m (394–735 ft) (avg. 132 m or 433 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Baliracq-Maumusson (French pronunciation: ​[baliʁak momysɔ̃]; Occitan: Valirac e Maumosson) is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Baliracois or Baliracoises.^[2]

Geography[]

Baliracq-Maumusson is located some 45 km east by north-east of Orthez and 20 km south of Aire-sur-l'Adour. Access to the commune is by the D211 road from Lannecaube in the south which passes through the length of the commune along the eastern side to join the D41 just north of the commune. Access to the village of Baliracq is by Le Moulin road branching from the D211. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.^[3]

The Lées river forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows north to join the Adour near Aire-sur-l'Adour. The Gabassot forms the northern border of the commune as it flows east into the Lées. Two other streams rise in the commune and flow into the Lées.^[3]

Places and hamlets[]

^[10]

Neighbouring communes and villages[]

^[3]

Toponymy[]

According to Michel Grosclaude the name Baliracq probably came from a Latin man's name Valerus with the Gallo-Roman suffix -acum giving the "Domain of Valerus". For Maumusson he proposed a Gascon man's name: the nickname mau meaning "bad" combined with mus meaning "nose" and the suffix -on giving "unfriendly" or "sullen".^[11]

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

Name	Spelling	Date	Source	Page	Origin	Description
Baliracq	Saint-Félix de Balirac	10th century	Raymond	20	Marca	Village
	Vallirag	1100	Grosclaude
	Valliracum	1100	Grosclaude
	Balirag	1443	Raymond	20	Carresse
	Baliracq	1750	Cassini
	Balirac	1801	Ldh/EHESS/Cassini		Bulletin des lois
	Balirac	1863	Raymond	20
Maumusson	Maumusson	1750	Cassini			Village
	Maumussou	1774	Raymond	110	Terrier
Castéra	Casterar	1542	Raymond	44	Reformation	Farm

Sources:

• Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. (in French)^[12]
• Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 (in French)^[11]
• Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750^[13]
• Ldh/EHESS/Cassini: Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Baliracq-Maumusson, EHESS. (in French)

Origins:

• Marca: Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn.^[14]
• Carresse:^[15]
• Terrier: Terrier of Baliracq, E 177
• Reformation: Reformation of Béarn^[16]

History[]

Paul Raymond noted on page 20 of his 1863 dictionary that Baliracq was a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn.

The communes of Baliracq and Maumusson were merged in 1828.

Administration[]

List of Successive Mayors^[17]

Mayors from 1933

From	To	Name
1933	1944	Jacques Cassoulong
1944	1944	Charles Honoré
1944	1947	Jean Barreyat
1947	1989	Albert Sansous
1989	2014	Yvan Duviau
2014	2026	Sylvain Sergent

Inter-communality[]

The commune is part of six inter-communal structures:

• the Communauté de communes des Luys en Béarn;
• the SIVU for roads in the Garlin region;
• the SIVU for the Lées and its tributaries;
• the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
• the inter-communal association for the supply of drinking water for Luy-Gabas-Lées;
• the inter-communal association of Five Rivers;

Demography[]

In 2017 the commune had 122 inhabitants.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 281 —     1800 314 +1.60% 1806 342 +1.43% 1821 364 +0.42% 1831 410 +1.20% 1836 405 −0.25% 1841 386 −0.96% 1846 411 +1.26% 1851 401 −0.49% 1856 368 −1.70% 1861 341 −1.51% 1866 335 −0.35% 1872 325 −0.50% 1876 323 −0.15% 1881 309 −0.88% 1886 303 −0.39% 1891 267 −2.50% 1896 248 −1.47%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 231 −1.41% 1906 256 +2.08% 1911 217 −3.25% 1921 196 −1.01% 1926 188 −0.83% 1931 184 −0.43% 1936 198 +1.48% 1946 183 −0.78% 1954 174 −0.63% 1962 149 −1.92% 1968 123 −3.15% 1975 111 −1.46% 1982 124 +1.59% 1990 113 −1.15% 1999 115 +0.20% 2007 126 +1.15% 2012 145 +2.85% 2017 122 −3.40%
Source: EHESS[18] and INSEE[19]

Culture and heritage[]

Civil heritage[]

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• A Mill at Baliracq (1764)^[20]
• A Farmhouse at Baliracq-Bouquehort (19th century)^[4]
• The Coussié House at Maumusson-Tardan (1742)^[9]
• The Castéra House at Baliracq-Castéra (1742)^[5]
• The Lafon House at Maumusson-Crédey (17th century)^[6]
• The Sansot House at Maumusson-Sansot (19th century)^[8]
• The Chateau de Milly at Maumusson-Florence (18th century)^[7]
• Houses and Farms (18th-19th century)^[21]
• A Fortified Area (Middle Ages)^[22]
• A Fortified Complex (Prehistoric).^[23] At a place called Castera the topography has been visibly altered by the hand of man as evidenced by the presence of an ancient fortified complex with major embankments and a circular walkway which is still visible. This could be for high wooden stakes joined together because no stone remains have been found. The works could therefore date to the high Middle Ages although there could be prehistoric remains.

Religious heritage[]

The Parish Church of Saint Peter (11th century) is registered as an historical monument.^[24] The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:

See also[]

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department

External links[]

• Baliracq-Maumusson on Lion1906
• Baliracq-Maumusson on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Baliracq and Maumußon on the 1750 Cassini Map

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baliracq-Maumusson.