Morcles

Canton of Vaud · District: Aigle · After having numbered between sixty and eighty inhabitants in the 18th and 19th centuries, Morcles lost its status as an independent municipality in 1852. Today the hamlet reportedly has no more than around twenty year-round inhabitants according to the only recent estimate available, information that would deserve to be cross-checked against an official demographic source.

Part of the municipality of Lavey-Morcles

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Morcles

The name Morcles is attested in writing as early as 1043, already in this form, then again in 1239 and in 1255. The most widely accepted hypothesis derives it from the Franco-Provençal term «morra», which designates a prominent rock, a pile of stones or a rounded point, an image consistent with the steep relief of the valley and the massif that overlooks the village. This massif, the Dents de Morcles, subsequently took its name from the village rather than the other way round. As this etymology rests essentially on a single source consulted, it would deserve to be cross-checked against a dedicated work on Romand toponymy.

Founding of Morcles

No formal founding act is known for Morcles. The place already appears as an organised small rural mountain community in the 11th century, when the bishop of Sion, Aimon, donated it in 1043 to the canon Varnerius, which indicates an initial dependence on the bishopric of Sion. Subsequently, several families successively held feudal rights (fief) over the village: the Veillon, the de Bex, the Macognin, then the Quartéry de Saint-Maurice, without any of them properly being its founder. Morcles instead developed gradually as an alpine pasture community organised around the collective use of the pastures, as attested by an agreement of 1272 regulating the use of the pastures between the inhabitants and the local lord Jean d'Arbignon.

History of Morcles

1043. First known written mention of the place, under the name Morcles: the bishop of Sion, Aimon, donates it to the canon Varnerius.

1239 and 1255. The name Morcles reappears in old documents, confirming the continuity of the community.

1272. Agreement between the inhabitants and the local lord Jean d'Arbignon regulating the use of the common pastures.

1476. Morcles comes under Bernese rule and is integrated into the bailiwick of Bex; local justice is administered by a métral (bailiff), with appeals taken to Bex.

1504. Fixing of the territorial boundaries between Morcles and neighbouring Valais.

1529. The parish of Morcles, until then attached to Saint-Sigismond, joins the Protestant Reformation and is attached to the parish of Bex.

1732. First known mention of a régent (schoolmaster) in Morcles.

1764. The village has 66 inhabitants.

1803. The population reaches 84 inhabitants.

1830. A carriage road finally connects Morcles to the Rhône valley.

1850. The population falls back to 68 inhabitants, just before the merger.

1852. The municipality of Morcles merges with that of Lavey to form the new municipality of Lavey-Morcles. Sources agree that this merger, motivated by management problems, took place against the will of the municipality of Morcles.

early 20th century. The village, which then hosted several federal officials on holiday, had a school, a hotel, a restaurant and two grocery shops.

1892-1894. Construction, in the Dailly massif overlooking the village, of the Fort de Dailly, a military installation integrated into the Saint-Maurice defence system.

early 2000s. The discontinuation of the PostBus line makes Morcles one of the few localities in Switzerland no longer served by public transport.

Population of Morcles

1764

1803

1850

Historic sites in Morcles

The hamlet of Morcles. An inhabited alpine settlement at 1160 metres above sea level, nestled at the head of a valley, it is today the starting point for hikes towards the Muverans, the Dents de Morcles, Ovronnaz and Derborence.

Dents de Morcles massif. A peak of the Vaud Alps that overlooks the village and lends it its name (or the reverse, depending on the toponymic hypothesis adopted), a landmark visible from the shores of lac Léman.

Fort de Dailly. An underground military installation built between 1892 and 1894 in the Dailly massif above the village, later substantially modernised in the 20th century (new artillery turrets tested from 1960, in service until 1994). It is part of the historic defence system of the Saint-Maurice Fortress, a strategic lock at the entrance to the Alps.

Remains in Morcles

Ancient remains (to be cross-checked). Ancient remains, axes and coins, are mentioned for the territory of the present-day municipality of Lavey-Morcles, without it being possible, on the basis of the sources consulted, to determine with certainty whether they come from the Morcles or the Lavey sector. This information should be cross-checked against a more precise cantonal archaeological source before publication.

Legends of Morcles

The departure of the fairy of the Tannes de Javerne. A local legend, linked to Morcles in a collection of legends of the Vaud Alps, tells how a fairy from the Tannes de Javerne (an alpine pasture neighbouring the territory of Bex) married a mortal, Jean Guillat, on condition that he never say three specific insulting words to her. The story has it that this condition was eventually broken, prompting the fairy to leave her husband and the life they shared, following the pattern of other alpine legends of unions between fairies and mortals. As this legend comes from only one recorded source, its precise attachment to Morcles and its detailed content would deserve to be cross-checked.

Sources

Other villages near Morcles

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