Les Thioleyres

Origin of the name Les Thioleyres

The name Les Thioleyres comes from the patois word «thiole», meaning a tile. It refers to an old tile works established on the territory by the monks of the abbey of Hautcrêt, which gave the place its name. The earliest known written mention of the locality dates from 1266 or 1267, in the form «la Thiolere».

Founding of Les Thioleyres

The territory of Les Thioleyres is among the first donations received by the abbey of Hautcrêt, founded in 1134 by the bishop of Lausanne Guy de Merlen. In 1266 or 1267, the bishop of Lausanne granted the monks of Hautcrêt rights of use and pasture over this territory, on condition that a village be built there. The hamlet thus arose as a rural and industrial dependency of the monastery, organized around a tile works operated by the abbey, rather than as a classic seigneurial foundation.

History of Les Thioleyres

1134. The bishop of Lausanne Guy de Merlen founds the abbey of Hautcrêt, to which the territory of the future Les Thioleyres is given among its very first possessions.

1266/1267. First written mention of the place under the name «la Thiolere». The bishop of Lausanne grants the monks of Hautcrêt rights of use and pasture over the territory, on condition that a village be built there.

1557. Following the Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud, Les Thioleyres is incorporated into the Bernese bailiwick of Oron.

1700. On 3 February, under bailiff Gabriel de Watteville, the tile works is re-leased to Pierre Davet, with the obligation to restore it and to supply the State of Berne each year with a thousand and a half tiles (1'500 tiles).

1736. Construction of a first school in the village.

1798. During the Helvetic Republic, Les Thioleyres is attached to the Canton of Léman, then incorporated into the district of Oron.

around 1860. The tile works, gradually becoming impossible to operate, is abandoned. This marks the end of the activity that had given the village its name (to be cross-checked: the exact date of definitive closure varies slightly between sources, between 1860 and somewhat later).

1874. Reconstruction of the village's school building.

1947. Further reconstruction of the communal school.

1957. Establishment of an agricultural mechanics workshop in the village.

2006. On 31 August, the district of Oron is dissolved; Les Thioleyres joins the new district of Lavaux-Oron.

2012. On 1 January, Les Thioleyres merges with Bussigny-sur-Oron, Châtillens, Chesalles-sur-Oron, Écoteaux, Oron-la-Ville, Oron-le-Châtel, Palézieux, Les Tavernes and Vuibroye to form the new municipality of Oron.

Population of Les Thioleyres

Population of Les Thioleyres

1803	95
1850	166
1900	157
1950	130
1980	116 (to be cross-checked)
2000	172
2010	213
2011	204

Historic sites in Les Thioleyres

The historic street-village. Les Thioleyres consists of a characteristic small street-village, surrounded by scattered rural settlement. This structure reflects the old agricultural and craft organization of the place, which developed from the hamlet born around the monastic tile works.

Site of the former Adoux tile works. The site of the former tile works, established by the monks of the abbey of Hautcrêt near the Adoux watercourse, is at the origin of the village's name and settlement. It was worked in stages from the Middle Ages until around 1860.

The school building. The village school, built in 1736 and then rebuilt in 1874 and 1947, bears witness to the communal life of Les Thioleyres before the 2012 merger.

Remains in Les Thioleyres

Remains of the tile works. The former tile works that gave the village its name was abandoned around 1860. Whether material remains are still visible on the site today could not be confirmed by the sources consulted (to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse, article "Thioleyres, Les"
• Wikipédia (français) - Les Thioleyres
• Wikipedia (allemand) - Les Thioleyres
• Wikipedia (anglais) - Les Thioleyres
• Commune d'Oron - page officielle du village des Thioleyres

Other villages near Les Thioleyres

• Les Tavernes (VD)
• Palézieux (VD)
• Châtillens (VD)
• Essertes (VD)
• Forel (Lavaux) (VD)