Donneloye

Origin of the name Donneloye

The village is mentioned around 1150 as «Donnolui». Later forms are «Donneloya» (1174), «Donneloix» (1177), «Donnelve» (1228), «Donnnelui» and «Dogne Eloye» (1240), then «Domgneloye» (1453). In the 12th century the name was borne by a family of knights descended from a branch of the Goumoëns; none of the sources consulted gives its etymology.

Founding of Donneloye

None of the sources consulted names a founder of the village. Donneloye was a lordship from the 12th century, held by a family of knights of the same name descended from a branch of the Goumoëns. The church of Notre-Dame was founded there in the 12th century. When the Donneloye family died out (Othenin de Donneloye died around 1387), the lordship was divided into several parts; Édouard Provana inherited a share through his marriage to Marguerite de Donneloye, then the de Glâne family (1440-1528) probably built the present castle. The Loys-Villardin brought almost the whole lordship together in 1652 and ceded it to the Bernese in 1711. The village, seat of a local court (castellany), developed into a large farming village at the crossroads of the Yverdon-Moudon and Yvonand-Bercher roads.

History of Donneloye

around 1150. First mention, as «Donnolui».

12th century. Donneloye is a lordship held by a family of knights of the same name. Foundation of the church of Notre-Dame, whose presentation belonged to the chapter of Lausanne and whose collation to the bishop.

1380. The Donneloye family dies out (Othenin de Donneloye dies around 1387); the lordship is divided into several parts.

1416. Donneloye has 80 hearths.

1440-1528. The de Glâne family holds the castle, which it probably had built towards the end of the 15th century.

1453. The village now has only 36 hearths.

1496. Casting of a bell still preserved in the church.

Reformation. The parish includes the annex of Bioley-Magnoux and the villages of Mézery-près-Donneloye, Chanéaz and Prahins.

1652. The Loys-Villardin come to own almost the entire lordship.

1664. Alteration of the church of Notre-Dame.

1711. The Loys-Villardin cede the lordship to the Bernese, who already owned a manor house in the village; Donneloye belongs to the Bernese bailiwick of Yverdon.

1712. Construction of the parsonage.

1754. Construction of the first stone bridge over the Mentue.

1798. Donneloye becomes part of the district of Yverdon.

1892. Widening of the bridge over the Mentue, which forms the present bridge of the Yverdon-Moudon road.

1894. Construction of the school building.

1903. Rebuilding of the church of Notre-Dame, which keeps its portal, its pulpit and a bell from 1496.

2008. Merger with Gossens and Mézery-près-Donneloye (voted on 11 March 2007); the municipality becomes part of the new district of Jura-Nord vaudois.

2012. Prahins joins the municipality of Donneloye.

Population of Donneloye

Population of Donneloye

1416	80 hearths (households)
1453	36 hearths (households)
1764	165
1850	282
1900	382
1950	274
1970	245
2000	320
2025	905 (merged municipality)

Historic sites in Donneloye

Donneloye Castle. Former manor house, probably built by the de Glâne family towards the end of the 15th century, later held by the Roguenet of Romont, von Roll of Solothurn and de Loys families. It consists of a rectangular main block divided in two by a wide central corridor and a cylindrical tower to the south-east, which probably served as a prison. State Councillor Viquerat (1838-1904) bought and restored it. A typical example of a medieval Savoyard seigneurial country house, the castle is not open to the public.

Church of Notre-Dame. Church founded in the 12th century, altered in 1664 and rebuilt in 1903; it keeps the portal, the pulpit and a bell from 1496.

Parsonage. Parsonage building, built in 1712.

Bridge over the Mentue. First stone bridge, built in the Bernese period in 1754 and widened in 1892; it is the present bridge of the Yverdon-Moudon road.

Villages of the municipality. Since 2008 the municipality has also included Gossens and Mézery-près-Donneloye, and since 2012 Prahins, each with its own history.

Remains in Donneloye

Underground passage. An underground passage over 500 metres long linked the caves of the Moulin du Pont to the parsonage; still used in 1925, it became inaccessible after collapses (to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Donneloye »
• Commune de Donneloye, « Histoire de Donneloye »
• Wikipédia, « Donneloye »
• Wikipedia (de), « Donneloye »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Localities of the municipality with a page

• Gossens
• Mézery-près-Donneloye
• Prahins

Other villages near Donneloye

• Mézery-près-Donneloye (VD)
• Bioley-Magnoux (VD)
• Gossens (VD)
• Cronay (VD)
• Prahins (VD)