A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres MOULINS Moulins is an old commune, associated with the commune of Mauléon. Moulins is in the North West of the Deux-Sèvres and borders the Vendée and Maine et Loire. The commune is mentioned for the first time in 1122 under the name of Mollendina. The commune is crossed by the Ouin, which flows into the Sèvre Nantaise near Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre. Several Neolithic sites have been discovered along the river Ouin, the biggest being at Roche Allon. Cut flints have been found at Puy Albert. Other remains dating from the Bronze age can be seen in Mauléon museum. The village of Moulins is situated between Cholet and Mauléon, 90 km from Niort. Moulins probably existed more than a thousand years ago. Roman remains have been found at la Barbinière, about 3 kilometres from the centre of the village. The parish church was ransacked several times at the end of the 16th century. It was burned down by General Boucret in 1794.
MOUGON
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by Sue Burgess
ituated 14km East of Niort and 17km West of Melle, the commune of Mougon is part of the canton of Celles-surBelle. The commune is made up of three villages: the main town Mougon, then Triou to the South-East and Montaillon in the North-East. The commune has about 2000 habitants and is mainly residential. The locality is very old. It was a money workshop as early as the 10th Century. Mougon must have existed before the Middle Ages. According to local tradition, a sarcophagus and bones were discovered under the village hall and the war memorial. “Molgonensis” existed in the 11th century. At this time Mougon was an important site coveted by the Aulnay family and the Viscounts of Melle. Oral tradition says that there is a network of underground tunnels under the village centre and that there used to be a château. Mougon was popular with pilgrims because it is on the road from Nantes to Limoges. Different districts can be seen on the 1822 land registry. Grolleau, Poitiers, la Gasse, Biron, l’Houmeau, la Ballet, la Vieille Cour and les Baronneries still exist today. Others have disappeared - le Prieuré, la Brocherie, le Guignier, la Malaisée, la Robinière. Some new names have appeared - la Taudrie and la Grande Cour.
The commune gets its name from the presence of numerous mills around the edges of the commune. None of the mills are in working order today but the buildings themselves are still visible. The site of Pyrôme is accessed from Moulins even though the site belongs La Chapelle-Largeau, a neighbouring village. Pyrôme is a wooded site where a pile of white quartz rocks can be seen. The rocky formation is at the centre of a legend about farfadets (pixies) and a devil. On the eve of the Revolution, three water mills linked with three wind mills were working at la Sauzaie, at Morines and at Bénétreau (at the bridge over the river). In 1820, the mills stopped working. In 1876, two thirds of the population were poor: small holders or townsfolk. The district of la Boitauderie was known as the quartier des tisserands (weavers’ district). During the summer the men worked on the farm or as masons. In the winter they wove in the cellars below the houses. Some houses still have this architecture. In the summer the women took over the weaving and this was done in the damp cellars because the thread was more flexible there and less likely to break. The cloth was sent to Cholet for making hankerchieves, rags and towels.
Commune of Celles-sur-Belle. Photo: www.ville-celles-sur-belle.com
Mougon was the protestant capital in the Niort area but the original temple was destroyed in 1685. Saint-Jean-Baptiste Priory – The priory of Mougon depended on the Abbey of Montierneuf. The priory probably dated back to 1023-1031, when Cadelon and his son Guillaume, the Viscounts of Aulnay, obtained privileges from the Bishop of Poitiers. In September 1731, Frédéric de la Tour d’Auvergne, a priest in the diocese of Paris, took possession of the priory of Mougon, with all its riches and profits. Sold as a national belonging at the Revolution, the priory church changed hands three times between 1791 and 1798. It has since been destroyed. The Parish church belongs to the commune. In 1820 the people tried to raise money for the church which tradition has it, is a barn. The bell tower was built in 1822.
More A-Z of the Communes of Deux-Sèvres next month... The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, September 2016 | 19