Balleroy | |
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Part ofBalleroy-sur-Drôme | |
 A street in Balleroy | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Balleroy  | |
  Balleroy  Balleroy | |
| Coordinates:49°10′53″N0°50′13″W / 49.1814°N 0.8369°W /49.1814; -0.8369 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Bayeux |
| Canton | Trévières |
| Commune | Balleroy-sur-Drôme |
Area 1 | 4.23 km2 (1.63 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | 900 |
| • Density | 210/km2 (550/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 14490 |
| Elevation | 49–131 m (161–430 ft) (avg. 110 m or 360 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Balleroy (French pronunciation:[baləʁwa]ⓘ) is a formercommune in theCalvadosdepartment in theNormandyregion of north-westernFrance. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune ofBalleroy-sur-Drôme.[2]
Balleroy is located some 16 km south-west ofBayeux and 21 km north-east ofSaint-Lô. Access to the commune is by the D13 road fromCerisy-la-Forêt in the west which passes through the village and continues east toLingèvres. The D28 road goes south from the village toPlanquery. The commune is mainly farmland with theChâteau de Balleroy grounds just west of the village occupying a substantial land area.[3]
The riverDrôme forms the western and north-western borders of the commune as it flows north-east to eventually join the ocean atPort-en-Bessin-Huppain. TheRuisseau de la Commune flows from the west to join the Drome in the commune. TheVesbire forms the south-eastern border of the commune as it flows south-west to join the Drôme.[3]
Neighbouring communes and villages[3] | |
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Until 1521 the commune was the property of the lord of Aunay. The lordship of Balleroy was purchased by the Trextot family. Jean de Choisy, counselor, notary and secretary of the king, in turn bought the lordship of Balleroy as well as the lands ofCormolain,Montfiquet, andVaubadon. He was the son of Jean de Choisy, intendant ofMetz, knight, advisor to the king and theDuke of Orléans, Lord of Balleroy,Beaumont,Grandcamp, Léthanville, and Saint-Pierre and he founded the present chateau. He made the inhabitants near the chateau into vassals, forcing them to build their homes there.
In 1634 the Lord of Balleroy obtained the establishment of a weekly market (on Tuesday) and two fairs a year.
During theFrench revolutionary period of theNational Convention (1792-1795), the commune was calledBal-sur-Drôme.[4]
| Blazon: Quarterly: at 1 and 4 Azure, a saltire engrailed of Or cantoned with four roundels the same; at 2 and 3, Argent, three hearts of Gules. The blazon of quarters 2 and 3 (hearts) is that of thede La Cour de Balleroy family (extinct), the former Marquises of Balleroy. |
Balleroy was part of theCommunity of communes Intercom Balleroy Le Molay-Littry which included 22 communes and had its seat inLe Molay-Littry.
Balleroy was the seat of the formerCanton of Balleroy. Since the 2015 French cantons reform, it is part of thecanton of Trévières.
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| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | M Villeroy[6] | |||
| ~1970 | ~1980 | Pierre Blanchard | ||
| 2001 | 2006 | Yves Houel | ||
| 2006[7] | 2014 | Denis Legrand | ||
| 2014[8] | 2016 | Gilbert Montaigne |
Balleroy hastwinning associations with:[9]
Shebbear (United Kingdom) since 1979.
Ribe (Denmark) since 1986.
Fo (Burkina Faso) since 1989.The inhabitants of the commune are known asBiardais orBiardaises andBillards orBillardes in French.[10]
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| Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE[11] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:
[12] was built by the architectFrançois Mansart for Jean de Choisy, advisor toLouis XIII. ItsFrench formal garden are by Henri Duchêne according to plans byAndré Le Nôtre. It remained in the Balleroy family until 1970. The village was built around the castle.[13]
are registered as an historical monument.[14] The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
Each year a gathering ofhot air balloons took place at theChâteau de Balleroy. This gathering took place for the last time in 1999 whenMalcolm Forbes, the chateau's owner, would have celebrated his 80th birthday.
Since 2007 in the face of demand from the public, the festival was again held at the end of June but this no longer happens in the castle. This was held by the village festival committee who organized a small gathering. The festivities are now held above the village at the stadium.
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