Ballans | |
|---|---|
 An old Well in Ballans | |
 Location of Ballans | |
  Ballans  Ballans | |
| Coordinates:45°48′53″N0°13′11″W / 45.8147°N 0.2197°W /45.8147; -0.2197 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Jean-d'Angély |
| Canton | Matha |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Marie-Agnès Begey[1] |
Area 1 | 6.94 km2 (2.68 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 201 |
| • Density | 29.0/km2 (75.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17031 /17160 |
| Elevation | 24–82 m (79–269 ft) (avg. 72 m or 236 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Ballans (French pronunciation:[balɑ̃]) is acommune in thedepartment ofCharente-Maritime, southwesternFrance.
Ballans is located some 35 km (22 miles) north-west ofAngoulême and 30 km (19 miles) east by north-east ofSaintes. The southern border of the commune is the departmental border betweenCharente-Maritime andCharente. Access to the commune is by the D124 road fromBrie-sous-Matha in the west which passes through the village and continues south-east toMacqueville. The D133 from Macqueville toSiecq forms part of the eastern border of the commune. Apart from the village there is the hamlet ofLes Gorains south-east of the village. The commune is entirely farmland.[3]
The commune is in aJurassiclimestone area which dates to theTithonian (formerly called Portlandian) at the boundary of theUpper Jurassic andLower Cretaceous (Berriasian stage) areas and there are marl and clay outcrops. This is a zone of low relief that is part of thedrainage basin of theCharente river. Ballans commune is on a hill 82 m (269 feet) high which overlooks the lowlands of other communes (24 m/79 feet or lower).
The climate is oceanic Aquitaine.
Places adjacent to Ballans | |
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The nameBallans is ofCeltic origin meaning "low land".
It was in Ballans thatRichard I of England fought against his father,King Henry II of England, on 4 July 1189 and became king two days later. With the help ofKing Philip, Richard defeated his father in Ballans and was then pronounced heir tothe throne of England. Henry II retreated toChinon where he died and Richard becameKing of England,Count of Anjou, andDuke of Normandy.
In 1417 Jean Godefroy was Lord of Ballans.[4]
According to the State of Parishes in 1686 the Parish of Ballant had Louis Audouyn as Lord with 80fires and land which produced grains and wine.
Baron de Livenne was Lord of Ballans in the 18th century. The botanistBernard de Jussieu presented him with acedar in 1734. By its girth and its majesty, it was greater than the cedar in theJardin des Plantes in Paris which was planted by Bernard Jussieu in the same year. A third cedar fromLebanon brought with the first two trees was planted by Bernard de Jussieu on his Loiret property but it died after several years.
In 1789 Ballans participated in the drafting of the list of grievances which provides us valuable information:
"The parish of Ballans complains that ecclesiastical tithes are paid at Saintes college and what the priests take is not only for charitable works but even for their own needs. It requires mercy and the justice of your Majesty in this regard that the tithes be for the pastor in charge of maintaining the church and the rectory and to fill other functions and duties without perquisites and as tithes of this parish assigned to the College of Saintes, your Majesty is humbly begged to order that all ecclesiastical tithes and other benefits, to be raised annually an amount equivalent to that of the farm tithes of the said parish which currently amount to seventeen hundred and fiftylivres."
In the 20th century the main activity was the raising and selling of horses.
 |
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2014 | Annie Trimoulinard |
| 2014 | 2026 | Marie-Agnès Begey |
Ballans is part of theCommunity of communes ofVals de Saintonge Communauté which includes 110 communes, and has its seat inSaint-Jean-d'Angély.
According to the census of 2010 there were 137 dwellings in the commune, of which 86 are principal homes, 23 secondary residences and 28 vacant. The principal homes are mostly old: 43 (50%) are from before 1919.[6]
The inhabitants of the commune are known asBallansois orBallansoises andBalançais orBalançaises in French.[7]
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| Source: EHESS[8] and INSEE[9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The population of the town is similar to the departmental average.
Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Ballans and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017
| Ballans | Charente-Maritime | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 0 to 14 Years | 17.7 | 17.6 | 16.3 | 14.3 |
| 15 to 29 Years | 9.4 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 13.1 |
| 30 to 44 Years | 20.8 | 17.6 | 16.7 | 16.1 |
| 45 to 59 Years | 22.9 | 17.6 | 20.2 | 19.9 |
| 60 to 74 Years | 20.8 | 20.6 | 21.1 | 22.0 |
| 75 to 89 Years | 8.3 | 8.8 | 9.4 | 12.3 |
| 90 Years+ | 0.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
According to the 2017 census there are 95 employable people of which 90 are active employees or self-employed. Most of them (74%) work outside the commune.[6] The activity is totally related to viticulture in this Fins Bois area of theCognac region.
The village has one rural multi-service shop with a bar and a post office.
The school is an Inter-communal Educational Grouping (RPI) betweenMacqueville,Neuvicq,Siecq, and Ballans.
Ballans hosts one class which is a large children's section and CP.
There is a Hiking route and a Tennis court.
There is a local festival on the third weekend in June, Fireworks on 14 July, and a flea market in the schools on the 1st Sunday of October.
There is a Senior Citizens Club, the festival committee, and the ACCA hunting society.
