Épendes
Origin of the name Épendes
The village is mentioned in 1154 as «Spinles» and in 1174 as «Espinnes». The name is said to derive from the Latin word for thorn (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Épendes
The area was already occupied in prehistoric times (to be cross-checked). The village grew up in the early Middle Ages on the dominant hill of La Poëpe; none of the sources consulted names a founder. The lords of Grandson-Belmont owned Épendes and shared its revenues between the abbey of the Lac de Joux and the charterhouse of La Lance. The locality belonged to the lordship of Belmont, then came under Bernese authority after 1536.
History of Épendes
Early Middle Ages. The village grows up on the dominant hill of La Poëpe.
1154. First mention, as «Spinles».
1172. Bishop Landri de Durnes hands over the parish church of Saint-Martin to the Premonstratensians of the Lac de Joux, who serve it until the Reformation; the parish has daughter churches at Suchy and Essert-Pittet.
1174. Mentioned as «Espinnes».
1404. Épendes has 17 hearths.
1536. After the Bernese conquest the village belongs to the bailiwick of Yverdon.
1550. The village has 16 hearths.
1663. Épendes is made a lordship for André du Plessis-Gouret, within the castellany of Yverdon (to be cross-checked).
1722. Construction of the castle (to be cross-checked).
1764. Épendes has 252 inhabitants in 47 hearths; the inhabitants begin turning the Orbe marshes into meadows and pastures. Bobbin lace-making develops at the same time.
1787. The church is raised because of the frequent floods of the Orbe plain (to be cross-checked).
1798. Épendes becomes part of the district of Yverdon.
1830-1971. A cheese dairy cooperative is in operation.
1855. Opening of a station on the Morges-Yverdon line.
1868. Construction of a school building.
1920. First land consolidation, followed by others in 1945 and 1990.
1972. The village now supplies its milk to Migros.
1982. Opening of a junction of the A1 motorway.
2008. Épendes becomes part of the new district of Jura-Nord vaudois.
Population of Épendes
| 1404 | 17 hearths (households) |
| 1550 | 16 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 252 |
| 1798 | 265 |
| 1850 | 320 |
| 1900 | 249 |
| 1950 | 293 |
| 1980 | 205 |
| 2000 | 320 |
| 2025 | 376 |
Historic sites in Épendes
Saint-Martin church. Parish church handed over in 1172 to the Premonstratensians of the Lac de Joux, who served it until the Reformation. It is said to have been raised in 1787 because of the floods of the Orbe plain (to be cross-checked). In the 20th century the parish of Épendes was united with that of Suchy.
Épendes Castle. 18th-century manor house near the station, built in 1722 according to Wikipédia (to be cross-checked); it is rented to a Rudolf Steiner school.
La Poëpe hill. Dominant hill on which the village grew up in the early Middle Ages.
Remains in Épendes
Burgundian refuge. A refuge attributed to the Burgundian period was discovered on a ridge above Épendes (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (version allemande), « Ependes (VD) »
- Wikipédia, « Épendes (Vaud) »
- Wikipedia (de), « Ependes VD »
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Épendes
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