Corcelles-près-Concise
Origin of the name Corcelles-près-Concise
First mentioned in 885 in the form «Corceles». The sources consulted do not explain the origin of this name (etymology to be cross-checked). The addition «près-Concise» refers to the neighbouring village, whose parish Corcelles has always belonged to.
Founding of Corcelles-près-Concise
None of the sources consulted names a founder of the village. The area has been occupied since prehistory: Neolithic menhirs, lakeshore sites, a rural settlement from the early Iron Age, early medieval graves. The lordship of Corcelles was created in 1376 by Hugh of Grandson and then belonged to several families. Attached in 1476 to the common bailiwick of Grandson (Bern and Fribourg), within the métralie of Concise, it was held by the Python family of Fribourg from 1710 to 1766, then by Pierre-Henri Meuron, who had the castle built in 1780. Until the end of the Ancien Régime it kept a high court of justice, a regular source of tension between the lord and the bailiff. The village was governed by the general assembly of the burghers. The municipality stretches from the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel to the Mont Aubert. The inhabitants are called «Corcellois» («lè Cossalî» in Vaud patois, to be cross-checked).
History of Corcelles-près-Concise
Neolithic. The menhirs of Les Pierres Plates are raised north of the village; their Neolithic date was confirmed by the 1994 excavations.
3868-1570 BC. Successive occupations of the lakeshore sites of the bay of Concise (Sous-Colachoz, Les Grèves), from the classic Cortaillod to the Early Bronze Age.
Late Bronze Age. Occupation of the La Baie lakeshore site.
Iron Age. A rural settlement of the early Iron Age is established in the area.
Early Middle Ages. Graves from this period have been uncovered in the municipality.
885. First mention of the village, «Corceles».
1376. Hugh of Grandson creates the lordship of Corcelles.
1476. After the Burgundian Wars, Corcelles is attached to the common bailiwick of Grandson, within the métralie of Concise.
1710-1766. The lordship belongs to the Python family of Fribourg.
1780. Pierre-Henri Meuron, the new purchaser of the lordship, has the castle built.
1798. Attached to the district of Grandson until 2006; the village has 152 inhabitants.
1839. Construction of the municipal building.
1843. A menhir is carved and set up by Mr de Meuron on the site of a menhir that had disappeared in the 18th century.
1855. First archaeological finds in the bay of Concise during the construction of the Yverdon-Neuchâtel railway.
1954. The lakeshore is divided into plots for some forty holiday homes.
1956. Construction of a sewage treatment plant, replaced in 1974 by a facility shared with Concise.
1973. Construction of the multipurpose hall.
1997. Discovery of the La Vernette menhir during railway works; it is re-erected in 2005, 700 m from where it was found.
2006. With the reform of the districts, Corcelles-près-Concise joins the district of Jura-Nord vaudois.
2011. The ensemble «Corcelles-près-Concise, Stations de Concise» is inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List.
Population of Corcelles-près-Concise
| 1798 | 152 |
| 1850 | 229 |
| 1888 | 295 |
| 1900 | 279 |
| 1950 | 220 |
| 1970 | 201 |
| 2000 | 278 |
| 2010 | 279 |
| 2025 | 439 |
Historic sites in Corcelles-près-Concise
Corcelles castle. Built in 1780 for Pierre-Henri Meuron, who had bought the lordship from the Python family of Fribourg. The lord kept a high court of justice there until the end of the Ancien Régime.
Municipal building. Built in 1839, it reflects the municipal organisation of the village, governed under the Ancien Régime by the general assembly of the burghers.
Village listed in the ISOS. The whole village of Corcelles-près-Concise is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).
Remains in Corcelles-près-Concise
The four menhirs of Les Pierres Plates. At the place called Les Pierres Plates, north of the village, four menhirs 2 to 2.50 m high are arranged in a parallelogram. Three are Neolithic; the fourth, to the north-west, was carved and set up in 1843 on the site of a menhir that had disappeared in the 18th century. One of the prehistoric menhirs has a flattened top and some ten cup marks (small hollows 3 to 9 cm across). The 1994 excavations revealed a medieval pit containing a megalith cut in two.
La Vernette menhir. Discovered in 1997 during railway works and re-erected in 2005, 700 m from where it was found. Its rectangular base, its top carved to a point and a line engraved horizontally on its south face, interpreted as a belt, may make it a statue-menhir (to be cross-checked).
Stations de Concise (Unesco). The municipality contains four lakeshore sites. The sites of La Baie (Late Bronze Age), Les Grèves (Neolithic) and Sous-Colachoz (from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, partly in Concise) form the ensemble «Corcelles-près-Concise, Stations de Concise», one of the 56 Swiss lakeshore sites inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in 2011. The rescue excavations at Sous-Colachoz, carried out from 1995 to 2000 during the Rail 2000 works, revealed 25 successive occupation phases there.
Legends of Corcelles-près-Concise
The trophy of the battle of Grandson. According to a popular belief reported at the end of the 19th century, the menhirs of Corcelles were a trophy raised by the Swiss after their victory over Charles the Bold at Grandson in 1476. It was also said that the stones still bore the marks of the tools used to quarry them. Excavations have since shown that these menhirs date from the Neolithic.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Corcelles-près-Concise »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Corcelles-près-Concise, Stations de Concise »
- Archeoplus, « Corcelles-près-Concise (VD) »
- G. Criblet, « Les menhirs de Corcelles sur Concise, Bonvillars et Grandson », Bulletin de la Société vaudoise des sciences naturelles, vol. 31, 1895
- Visinand, « Quatre Menhirs, Corcelles-près-Concise »
- État de Vaud, Archéologie cantonale, « Sites fouillés et disparus, une sélection »
- Wikipédia, « Corcelles-près-Concise »
- Wikipedia (en), « Corcelles-près-Concise »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Corcelles-près-Concise
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