Angeac-Champagne

Angeac-Champagne
Town hall
Coat of arms
Angeac-Champagne
Location within Poitou-Charentes region  Angeac-Champagne
Coordinates: 45°36′30″N 0°17′47″W / 45.6083°N 0.2963°WCoordinates: 45°36′30″N 0°17′47″W / 45.6083°N 0.2963°W
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes
Department	Charente
Arrondissement	Cognac
Canton	Segonzac
Intercommunality	Grande Champagne
Government
• Mayor (2008–2020)	Gérard Faurie
Area^1	14.27 km^2 (5.51 sq mi)
Population (2009)^2	510
• Density	36/km^2 (93/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	16012 / 16130
Elevation	17–83 m (56–272 ft) (avg. 71 m or 233 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Angeac-Champagne is a French commune in the Charente department in the Poitou-Charentes region of southwestern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Angeacais or Angeacaises^[1]

Geography

Location and access

Angeac-Champagne is a commune located in the west of the department of Charente, near Charente-Maritime, in Grande Champagne, the premier cru of cognac.

The commune is located 10 km south of Cognac, 6 km west of Segonzac, and 3 km east of Salles-d'Angles. Angoulême, the prefecture of Charente, is 35 km to the east. Angeac is also 9 km north of Archiac, 12 km south-west of Jarnac, and 19 km north-west of Saint-Hilaire.^[2]

The commune does not lie on any main roads. The D731 road from Barbezieux to Cognac via Archiac, passes through the west of the commune. The village is served by the D150 from Germignac in the south-east and passes through the village before continuing north-east to join the D44 from Juillac-le-Coq to Roissac towards Cognac and Gensac-la-Pallue. A country road leads to the village of Salles-d'Angles and another to Genté in the north-west.^[3]

The nearest train station is at Cognac which is served by the TER between Angoulême, Saintes, and Royan.

Hamlets and localities

There are many hamlets dotting the commune. In particular Roissac, located northeast of Angeac village, was an ancient parish, and the village is as important as Angeac.

The small village of Le Bois d'Angeac together with a small forest is located 1 km north-west of the village.^[4]

Apart from a few small patches of forest the commune is entirely farmland^[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages^[4]

Geology and relief

As with the whole left bank of the Charente between Angoulême and Cognac, this area is limestone dating from the Cretaceous period with Cuestas.

The commune is part of the Campanian (Late Cretaceous) chalky limestone area which occupies a large part of South Charente. There is also some Santonian rock on a small part of the northern border at Longées.

The Campanian cuesta passes through the commune. This escarpment starts in the west at Salles-d'Angles, passes the foot of the town of Genté, then runs through the whole department going east towards Bouteville, Jurignac, and Plassac-Rouffiac. In the commune the escarpment passes through the east as an inlier northeast of Roissac. It separates the north of the plain of Châteaubernard from Champagne to the south.^[5][6][7]

The highest point in the commune is at an altitude of 84 m located north-west of Roissac. Another high point of 83 m faces it to the east (topped by an IGN Survey marker). The lowest point is 17 m located in Pas de la Tombe on the south-west edge of the commune near Salles d'Angles. The commune mostly varies in height between 40 and 70 m above sea level.^[3]

Hydrography

The ford at the Spring of the Three Stones

The Ruisseau de la Motte, a small tributary of the Né River and thus a sub-tributary of the Charente, forms the commune boundary to the south. No other rivers pass through the commune but there are many pools in a valley west of the village and towards Roissac^[3] and some springs including the Three Stones east of Bois d'Angeac.

Climate

The climate is oceanic Aquitaine.

Toponymy

The word Angeac is derived from the Latin Andiacum or villa Andii meaning that the village was built around the property of a rich Gallo-Roman named Andius. The term Champagne was added to the name of the town in 1801 to distinguish it from its namesake Angeac-Charente. In Saintonge the term Champagne refers to a fertile plain of limestone. It is derived from the Latin campus meaning "field" or "plain".

The word Roissac is derived from the Latin Riatacum or villa Riatii meaning that the village was built around the property of a rich Gallo-Roman named Riatus.^[8]

History

Proto-historic circular Ditches exist in the areas of Penchant de Lorimont and Houme, with square and circular ones at a place called Les Chirons. Roman villas are said to be at Puits d'Angeac at Chabanne and there are some medieval remains at Branges.^[9]

The remains of a Gallo-Roman villa possibly dating to the first half of the 9th century were found in 1904. It was a residence of Louis the Pious. These remains have disappeared.

Angeac was first a dependency of the Templars then passed to the Marquisate of Archiac then often changed hands. In 1239 Roissac passed to the House of Angoulême then at Barbezieux. By marriage Roissac became allied with Salles-d'Angles and Genté. The rights to the marshes resulted in brawls and lawsuits with the Lordship of Gademoulin.

The commune of Angeac was created in 1793 when it belonged to the Canton of Salles in district of Cognac and the Charente department. In 1801 it took the name of Champagne and was attached to the Canton de Segonzac.

The Roissac railway station was served from 1910 to 1939 by the Chemins de fer économiques des Charentes (Cheap Trains of Charente) with a metre gauge line from Cognac to Barbezieux with 3 return trips a day at a speed of 20 km/h. This line also served stations at Cognac, Genté, Segonzac, Juillac-le-Coq, Saint-Fort-sur-le-Né, Archiac, and Barbezieux.

Heraldry

Blazon: Azure, an escutcheon of Or.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[10]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
2001	2008	Bernadette Jullien
2008	2020	Gérard Faurie	SE	Lawyer

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2009 the commune had 510 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
315	319	293	279	300	-	396	400	409

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
429	887	912	878	845	666	634	606	607

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
594	589	606	528	523	508	504	493	493

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2009	-
498	489	470	439	473	479	-	510	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Distribution of Age Groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Angeac-Champagne and Charente Department in 2009

	Angeac	Angeac	Charente	Charente
Age Range	Men	Women	Men	Women
0 to 14 Years	21.4	16.9	17.3	15.5
15 to 29 Years	11.5	14.8	16.4	14.4
30 to 44 Years	20.2	21.5	19.2	18.5
45 to 59 Years	24.4	24.9	22.2	21.5
60 to 74 Years	13.7	11.8	15.8	16.2
75 to 89 Years	8.0	9.7	8.6	12.3
90 Years+	0.8	0.4	0.5	1.6

Sources:

• Evolution and Structure of the population of the Commune in 2009, INSEE.
• Evolution and Structure of the population of the Department in 2009, INSEE.

Facilities, services, and local life

Education

The school is an educational inter-communal grouping between Angeac-Champagne and Salles-d'Angles. Angeac-Champagne has a kindergarten and Salles-d'Angles an elementary school.^[11]

Culture and heritage

The Chateau de Roissac

François I Spring at Roissac

The commune contains a very large number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments. For a complete list with links to descriptions (in French) click here.

Some of the more interesting sites are described below.

Civil heritage

• The Chateau de Roissac (18th century). The Chateau bears the date 1830 but it was a chateau built in the Middle Ages for the La Rochefoucauld family at the site of a Gallo-Roman villa. The present chateau was built for the Beauchamp family around 1770 and the date 1830 with the initials I.P. corresponds to the remains of the outbuildings. There are decorations and, especially in the living room, wood paneling adorned with paintings of birds, flowers, fruit, landscapes, a scene with a sower, Moses and the Tablets of the Law.^[12][13]
• The Duran S.A. Distillery (1968)^[14]
• The Fountain, Lavoir (Public Laundry), and drinking trough at Roissac.^[15] They are linked to François I who would have visited the Chateau de Roissac for hunting.
• The Girls' School at Roissac.^[16]
• A Watermill at La Motte (in ruins)^[17] joined to that of Saint-Fort-sur-le-Né.
• A Windmill at La Millière (19th century)^[18]
• A Manor at Lorimont (1831).^[19] According to Martin Civat it already existed in the 16th century and was rebuilt in the 19th century. It bears the inscription "FAIT EN 1831 CHAILLOU PAUL" (Made in 1831 Chaillou Paul).
• An Underground refuge (Antiquity).^[20] A staircase to the refuge has been identified but its location remains unknown.
• An Ancient Villa of Louis the Pious (Antiquity).^[21]

The Logis d'Angeac

The entrance to the Logis d'Angeac

• The Logis d'Angeac Manor (1733).^[22] This is a manor that dates in part to the 16th century. When René de la Tour bought it in 1657 the house was to the north. The outbuildings are dated 1733. Another house was built to the west and rebuilt in the 19th century with outbuildings to the south. The entrance gate bears the date 1882.

The War Memorial

• The War Memorial (1920).^[23]
• The Town Hall (1897). The town hall was built in 1897 and 1898 by Locussol, an entrepreneur from Cognac, from the plans of the architect Lucien Roy also from Cognac.^[24]
• Farmhouses (15th - 20th century).^[25]

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint-Vivien

• A Cemetery Cross (19th century)^[26]
• The Pinard Family Funeral Chapel (19th century)^[27]
• The Renaud Family Funeral Chapel (19th century)^[28]
• The Frapin Gimbelot Prioulat Family Funeral Chapel (19th century)^[29]
• The Cemetery (19th century)^[30]
• The Parish Church of Saint-Vivien (11th century)^[31] The church was built in the 11th century and partly rebuilt in 1534 then repaired at the expense of the priest, Jean Marcus, in 1748 then restored again in 1864. Finally it was vaulted in 1875. It is elongated like a ship and covered by a ribbed vault. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • The Furniture in the Church^[32]
  • A Bronze Bell (1783)^[33]
  • 2 Vases (19th century)^[34][35]
  • 2 Monstrances (19th century)^[36][37]
  • A Paten (19th century)^[38]
  • A Chalice (1884)^[39]
  • A Stoup (1874)^[40]
  • A Baptismal font (19th century)^[41]
  • A Pulpit (1879)^[42]
  • A Secondary Altar and Tabernacle (19th century)^[43]
  • The main Altar and Tabernacle (1897)^[44]
  • A Stained glass window (19th century)^[45]
  • A Stained glass window of Saint Theresa of Lisieux (1947)^[46]
  • A Stained glass window of Saint Francis of Sales (19th century)^[47]
  • A Stained glass window of Saint Joseph, Virgin, and child (19th century)^[48]
  • 2 Stained glass windows (19th century)^[49]
  • 2 Stained glass windows of Saints Peter and Paul (19th century)^[50]
  • 3 Stained glass figures (19th century)^[51]

See also

• Communes of the Charente department

External links

• Angeac-Champagne on the National Geographic Institute website (French)
• Angeac-Champagne on Lion1906
• Angeac-Champagne on Google Maps
• Angeac-Champagne on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Angeac-Champagne on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Angeac-Champagne on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)

Notes and references

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 , the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

1. Inhabitants of Charente (French)
2. Orthodromic Distances prises from ACME Mapper (French)
3. IGN map on Géoportail (French)
4. Google Maps
5. BRGM map on Géoportail (French)
6. Infoterre Visualiser, BRGM website (French)
7. Paper Notice for Cognac, BRGM, Infoterre website, 20 November 2011 (French)
8. Jean-Marie Cassagne and Stéphane Seguin, Origins of the names of towns and villages of Charente, Jean-Michel Bordessoules, 1998, 311 pages, p. 14 and 229, ISBN 2-913471-06-4 (French)
9. Christian Vernou, The Charente, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris, coll. "Archeological Map of Gaul", 1993, 253 p. (ISBN 2-87754-025-1), p. 200-201 (French)
10. List of Mayors of France
11. Academic Inspection of Charente website (French)
12. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00104551 Chateau de Roissac (French)
13. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00042033 Chateau de Roissac (French)
14. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00066107 Duran S.A. Distillery (French)
15. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00042032 Fountain, Lavoir, and drinking trough (French)
16. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00042031 Girls' School (French)
17. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041994 Watermill (French)
18. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041993 Windmill (French)
19. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041992 Manor at Lorimont (French)
20. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041979 Underground Refuge (French)
21. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041978 Ancient Villa (French)
22. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041977 Logis d'Angeac Manor (French)
23. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041976 War Memorial (French)
24. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041975 Town Hall (French)
25. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041965 Farmhouses (French)
26. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041968 Cemetery Cross (French)
27. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041969 Pinard Family Funeral Chapel (French)
28. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041971 Renaud Family Funeral Chapel (French)
29. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041973 Frapin Gimbelot Prioulat Family Funeral Chapel (French)
30. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041967 Cemetery (French)
31. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00041966 Parish Church of Saint-Vivien (French)
32. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000443 Furniture in the Church (French)
33. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000442 Bronze Bell (French)
34. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000441 Vase (French)
35. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000440 Vase (French)
36. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000439 Monstrance (French)
37. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000438 Monstrance (French)
38. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000437 Paten (French)
39. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000436 Chalice (French)
40. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000435 Stoup (French)
41. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000434 Baptismal font (French)
42. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000433 Pulpit (French)
43. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000432 Secondary Altar and Tabernacle (French)
44. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000431 Main Altar and Tabernacle (French)
45. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000430 Stained glass window (French)
46. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000429 Stained glass window of Saint Theresa of Lisieux (French)
47. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000428 Stained glass window of Saint Francis of Sales (French)
48. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000427 Stained glass window of Saint Joseph, Virgin, and child (French)
49. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000426 2 Stained glass windows (French)
50. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000425 2 Stained glass windows of Saints Peter and Paul (French)
51. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM16000424 3 Stained glass figures (French)