Cuarny

Origin of the name Cuarny

The village is mentioned in 1174 in the form «Quarnie», then «Cuargnier» around 1300 and «Cuarnier» in 1453. The name probably comes from a Latin personal name with the place-name suffix -akos (to be cross-checked); despite the resemblance, it does not share the origin of Cuarnens.

Founding of Cuarny

The site was inhabited long before the present village: the 1993 excavations, carried out during construction of the A1 motorway, uncovered a succession of buildings from the Early Bronze Age to the 6th century AD, including a La Tène settlement and water works, notably a Gallo-Roman conduit. The first inhabitants settled near a marsh; in Gallo-Roman times the settlement moved up the hillside. No source consulted names a founder of the village. In the Middle Ages the territory belonged partly to the abbey of Montheron and partly to the castellany of Saint-Martin; another source assigns it around 1300 to the lords of Floreyres (to be cross-checked). Under Bernese rule Cuarny belonged to the bailiwick of Yverdon. The municipality includes the street village, the estate of Fignerolles and, since 1964, the locality of La Grand-Fin, detached from Pomy. The inhabitants are nicknamed the Chats-Huants or the Chouettes (owls).

History of Cuarny

Early Bronze Age. First inhabitants settle near a marsh (around 1800-1500 BC).

Late Bronze Age and Iron Age. New occupations of the site, including a La Tène settlement.

Gallo-Roman period. The settlement moves up the hillside; buildings and a Gallo-Roman conduit, with occupations up to the 6th century.

1174. First mention, «Quarnie».

around 1300. The village appears in the form «Cuargnier» (to be cross-checked).

1325. Mention of a chapel dedicated to Saint Lawrence.

1536-1798. Under Bernese rule Cuarny belongs to the bailiwick of Yverdon.

1664. The chapel becomes a subsidiary of the parish of Pomy (1648 according to another source, to be cross-checked).

1763. Construction of the present church.

1798. Cuarny joins the district of Yverdon, to which it belongs until 2007.

1802. During the Bourla-Papey uprising, documents are seized and destroyed.

around 1850. Sulphurous and bituminous emissions attract attention (to be cross-checked).

1908-1909. An engineer recruit school builds some fifteen concrete or corrugated-iron shelters on the summit of the Montélaz.

1928. Adoption of the coat of arms: three flames recalling the flammable gases of the soil and three owls recalling the inhabitants' nickname.

1935. Construction of the school.

1936-1939. Deep drilling to 2'500 metres in search of oil, without success (work began in 1935 according to another source).

1964. The locality of La Grand-Fin, detached from Pomy, is joined to Cuarny.

1974-1975. New oil exploration, with no better result.

1993. Archaeological excavations linked to the construction of the A1 motorway.

2008. Cuarny becomes part of the district of Jura-Nord vaudois.

Population of Cuarny

Population of Cuarny

1764	182
1850	292
1900	263
1950	203
1980	150
2000	171
2025	244

Historic sites in Cuarny

Church of Cuarny. Church built in 1763, succeeding the Saint-Laurent chapel mentioned in 1325; the chapel stood on the site of the present cemetery (to be cross-checked). Cuarny was a subsidiary of the parish of Pomy.

Montélaz hill. Highest point of the municipality (about 669 metres), where some fifteen military shelters built in 1908-1909 by an engineer recruit school survive.

Fignerolles estate. Estate belonging to the municipality, at the north-western end of its territory.

Remains in Cuarny

Archaeological sites of the A1 motorway. The 1993 excavations revealed a succession of buildings from the Early Bronze Age to the 6th century AD, a La Tène settlement and water works, including a Gallo-Roman conduit.

Military shelters of the Montélaz. Some fifteen shelters of concrete or corrugated zinc sheet, built in 1908-1909 by a recruit school of engineer sappers; an inscription in the concrete dates one shelter to 1909.

Memory of the oil drilling. In 1936-1939 a deep drilling to 2'500 metres was carried out in search of oil, without success; the drilling tower is said to have remained standing until 1954 (to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Cuarny »
• Commune de Cuarny, « Histoire »
• Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Alphabet des communes vaudoises : Cuarny »
• Wikipédia, « Cuarny »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Cuarny

• Pomy (VD)
• Cronay (VD)
• Cheseaux-Noréaz (VD)
• Villars-Epeney (VD)
• Valeyres-sous-Ursins (VD)