Couture-sur-Loir

Couture-sur-Loir
Couture-sur-Loir
Part of Vallée-de-Ronsard
	Manoir de la Possonnière, birthplace of Pierre de Ronsard
	Coat of arms
	Location of Couture-sur-Loir
	Couture-sur-Loir Couture-sur-Loir
	Coordinates: 47°45′16″N 0°41′19″E / 47.7544°N 0.6886°E
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Loir-et-Cher
Arrondissement	Vendôme
Canton	Montoire-sur-le-Loir
Commune	Vallée-de-Ronsard
Area 1	14.3 km2 (5.5 sq mi)
Population (2019)	412
• Density	29/km2 (75/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	41800
Elevation	54–136 m (177–446 ft) ; (avg. 70 m or 230 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Couture-sur-Loir (French pronunciation: [kutyʁ syʁ lwaʁ], literally Couture on Loir) is a former commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Vallée-de-Ronsard.^[2]

It is situated in the northwest of the Loir-et-Cher department, 33 km (21 mi) to the west of Vendôme. It lies mainly on the left bank of the river Loir.

Geography

Couture is in the canton of Montoire-sur-le-Loir, which corresponds to the historic Bas-Vendômois district.

Adjacent to the village centre (with a crossroad street pattern) or bourg are two parallel settlements, Le Poirier and more distinctly Le Pin.

Economy

The main industry (apart from farming and tourism) is gravel extraction; excavated areas have been adapted for water sports. A number of inhabitants are employed by the paper manufacturers at Bessé-sur-Braye (Sarthe).

History

It is first referred to as Villas culturas in a charter of the 9th-century bishop of Le Mans, Saint Aldric (earlier references are doubtless fictitious).

A partial source for the history of Couture in the later 17th century are the memoirs of Louis XIV's valet, Marie Dubois, who came from the village.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1793	825	—
1806	950	+15.2%
1821	878	−7.6%
1831	930	+5.9%
1841	909	−2.3%
1851	930	+2.3%
1861	906	−2.6%
1872	854	−5.7%
1881	836	−2.1%
1891	843	+0.8%
1901	782	−7.2%
1911	749	−4.2%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	681	−9.1%
1931	640	−6.0%
1946	720	+12.5%
1954	635	−11.8%
1962	618	−2.7%
1968	606	−1.9%
1975	535	−11.7%
1982	467	−12.7%
1990	450	−3.6%
1999	433	−3.8%
2008	425	−1.8%
2013	411	−3.3%

Sights

The housing reflects periods of prosperity and villégiature-type occupation in recent centuries.

Renowned for the Renaissance chateau of La Possonnière, birthplace of the poet Pierre de Ronsard,^[3] the village also possesses an Angevin-style church dedicated to Saints Gervase and Protase. The church contains the tombstone of Ronsard's parents and is known for its spire.

Personalities

Notable 20th-century inhabitants have included the Hallopeau and Sainte-Claire Deville families (noted scientists), the academic inspector Jean Pasquier and the Catholic historian François Lebrun. It is also the town where Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585) was born.^[3]

References

^ Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019, INSEE
^ Arrêté préfectoral 29 November 2018 (in French)
^ ^a ^b Saintsbury, George (1911). "Ronsard, Pierre de" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). pp. 691–693.

This Loir-et-Cher geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[pop2019-1] Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019, INSEE

[2] Arrêté préfectoral 29 November 2018 (in French)

[EB1911-3] Saintsbury, George (1911). "Ronsard, Pierre de" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). pp. 691–693.

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