Balansun


Balansun 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 Balansenais or Balansenaises.

Geography

Balansun is a commune in the former province of Béarn located some 6 km east of Orthez and 4 km north of Argagnon. Access to the commune is by the D946 road from Arthez-de-Béarn in the east which passes through the centre of the commune south of the village and continues south-west to join the D817 west of Castétis. Access to the village is by the Chemin de l'Eglise which branches north off the D946 on the western side of the commune. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.
The commune is located in the Drainage basin of the Adour with the Ruisseau de Clamondé forming the southern border of the commune as it flows west to join the Gave de Pau west of Castetis. Three streams flow through the commune from east to west into the Ruisseau de Clamondé gathering many tributaries in the commune/

Places and hamlets

Toponymy

said that the origin of the original name is the Gascon Latin name of a man Valentius with the suffix -unum.
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
NameSpellingDateSourcePageOriginDescription
BalansunBalansun1205Raymond
19
BérérenxVillage
Balansun13th centuryRaymond
19
Fors de Béarn
Balansun1323Grosclaude
Balensu1343Raymond
20
Pardies
Valenssun1385Raymond
20
Census
Valencin14th centuryRaymond
20
Froissart
Balanssun1536Raymond
20
Reformation
Balensun18th centuryGrosclaude
Balensun1750Cassini
Balenzun1793Ldh/EHESS/CassiniAn II
Balensun1801Ldh/EHESS/CassiniBulletin des lois
BellegardeBelegarde1538Raymond
27
ReformationFarm and Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Friquetla maison de Fricquet1538Raymond
65
ReformationFief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
LaheuguèreLa Figuere1538Raymond
90
ReformationFarm
Saint-MartinSent-Marthii1385Raymond
150
CensusFarm
TresarbresTresarbres1538Raymond
168
ReformationFief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn, with 400 arpents in 1538

Sources:
Origins:
noted that on page 20 of his 1863 dictionary that the fief of Balansun was a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn and, in 1385, had 27 fires depending on the bailiwick of Pau.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToName
17921794Pierre Cazaban
17941795Jean Bousque
17951797Arnaud Tisnerot
17971800Jacques Vispalie
18001803Jean Bouisque
18031804Arnaud Casaux
18041814Arnaud Tisnerot
18141816Jean Moureu
18161821Boniface Thimothée Desbordes-Louboey
18211826Jean Tisnerot
18261832Jean Cammau
18321837Léonard Moureu
18371841Jean Caubet
18411848Jacques Vispalie
18481858Léonard Moureu
18581871Pierre Lescurat
18711886Jean Paraige
18861896Jean Debaig
18961900Jean Baptiste Daugarou
19001912Jean Debaig
19121942Jean Maubecq

;Mayors from 1942
FromToNamePartyPosition
19421944Jean Baptiste Daugarou
19441946Pierre Temboury
19461977Alfred Debaig
19771995Jean Sautie
19952001Marie-Thérèse Maubecq
20012014Anny Furbeyre
20142020Bénédicte Alcetegaray

Inter-communality

The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:
In 2010 the commune had 244 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from 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 communes that have a sample survey every year.

Economy

Economic activity is mainly agricultural.

Sites and monuments

The Parish Church of the Assumption of Notre-Dame is registered as an historical monument.

Facilities

The commune has a primary school which is grouped in an RPI with the primary school in Castétis.