Rances

Origin of the name Rances

The village is mentioned in 972/973 in the form «Rancias», when a certain Romanus gave the bishop of Lausanne fields he owned there; the form «Rances» appears in 1228. The name is thought to derive from the Roman family name «Rancius» or «Rantius» (to be cross-checked). The inhabitants are called Rancignolets.

Founding of Rances

None of the sources consulted names a founder of the village. The area was settled long before the Middle Ages, as shown by Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements, Iron Age burial mounds, La Tène graves and an early medieval cemetery. Mentioned in the 10th century, Rances became the main locality of the lordship (castellany) of Les Clées. Under Bernese rule the village was the seat of a court of justice.

History of Rances

Neolithic. Occupation of the site: Neolithic pottery and possibly Neolithic cup-marked stones at Vy-des-Buissons; Bell Beaker pottery at Sur-la-Cheneau and Champ-Vully.

Middle Bronze Age. A settlement with hundreds of post holes extends over Champ-Vully.

Late Hallstatt. Burial mounds at Champs des Bois, Bois du Vuavre and Le Montet; at Champs des Bois a central grave contains the remains of a chariot, a bronze basin, a belt plate and an iron dagger.

Early La Tène. Burials at Champs des Bois, Pra Técoz and Vy-des-Buissons.

Early Middle Ages. A cemetery extends over Champ-Vully.

972/973. First written mention, «Rancias».

1228. The church of Saint-Sulpice is a parish church; first appearance of the form «Rances».

1286. The de Gallera family acquires the mayoralty (métralie) of Rances.

1371. The inhabitants are exempted from all tolls in the barony of Vaud, a privilege reaffirmed in 1517 and 1698 (to be cross-checked).

1536. Under Bernese rule Rances belongs to the bailiwick of Yverdon until 1798 and becomes the seat of a court of justice; the village adopts the Reformation.

1539. Jacques de Gallera sells the mayoralty to Bern.

1541. The parsonage is built, described as the first built in the canton; the municipality gives 1540 (to be cross-checked).

1548. A fire devastates the village; only the church, the parsonage and 19 houses are said to have been spared (to be cross-checked).

1798. The municipality becomes part of the district of Orbe.

1820. The choir of the church collapses and is rebuilt slightly askew (to be cross-checked).

1889. A dairy opens.

1896. Restoration of the church of Saint-Sulpice.

1989. The opening of the A9 motorway speeds up residential development.

2000. Rances and Valeyres-sous-Rances join the parish of Baulmes-Rances.

2008. With the new districts coming into force on 1 January, the municipality joins the district of Jura-Nord vaudois.

Population of Rances

Population of Rances

1684	80 hearths (households)
1764	385
1850	518
1900	493
1950	412
1970	314
2000	419
2025	513

Historic sites in Rances

Church of Saint-Sulpice. A parish church since 1228, it retains 15th-century elements and was restored in 1896. Its parish included L'Abergement, Sergey and Valeyres-sous-Rances, as well as Montcherand until 1662 and from 1846 to 1849.

Parsonage of Rances. Built in 1540 or 1541, shortly after the Reformation, it is described as the first parsonage built in the canton; it escaped the fire of 1548 (to be cross-checked).

Village of Rances. The whole village is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).

Mont Suchet and the Mathoulaz summer pasture. The municipal territory rises from vineyards through forests to alpine pastures; the Mont Suchet and the Mathoulaz summer pasture are popular destinations.

Remains in Rances

Hallstatt burial mounds. From the 19th century, Frédéric Troyon and other researchers excavated burial mounds at Champs des Bois, Bois du Vuavre and Le Montet. Champs des Bois, the first site in the canton to be explored scientifically, yielded a Late Hallstatt central grave with the remains of a chariot, a bronze basin, a belt plate and an iron dagger, as well as an early La Tène burial.

Champ-Vully settlement. The 1974-1981 excavations uncovered a Middle Bronze Age settlement (hundreds of post holes, pottery, stone tools), Bell Beaker pottery and an early medieval cemetery.

Vy-des-Buissons, Pra Técoz and Sur-la-Cheneau. Possibly Neolithic cup-marked stones, Neolithic pottery, a storage pit and early La Tène graves at Vy-des-Buissons; three early La Tène burials discovered in 1861 at Pra Técoz; a protohistoric ditch with Bell Beaker and La Tène pottery at Sur-la-Cheneau. Roman remains are scarce.

Legends of Rances

The Pierre à Bonchâteau. Listed by the municipality among its curiosities, the Pierre à Bonchâteau is a heap of rocks carved with cup marks, located between Baulmes and Sergey-L'Abergement (to be cross-checked). According to tradition, a treasure lies buried beneath this huge rock, which on certain evenings, at the twelfth stroke of midnight, is said to turn on itself. It was also called the Pierre des sorciers (sorcerers' stone).

Sources

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

Other villages near Rances

• Saint-Christophe (VD)
• Valeyres-sous-Rances (VD)
• Mathod (VD)
• Baulmes (VD)
• Sergey (VD)