The current form, Le Bourdet, appeared in 1350; the first mention of “Bordelus” dating from 1237. Until the Revolution, the village depended on the generality of La Rochelle, the election of Saint-Jean-d'Angély and the lordship of Frontenay.
In 1419, Jean, son of Jean de Rochechouart, second of the name and chamberlain of Duke Jean de Berry, received the fiefdom of Bourdet which returned in 1496 to Aimery Acarie, husband of Andrée de Rochechouart. In 1647, Catherine Acarie was married to Charles de Cugnac, from one of the oldest families in Périgord, most often practicing the profession of arms. Louis-Philippe de Cugnac, captain in the Bourbonnais-Infanterie regiment, emigrated in 1791 and served in the Princes' army. Most of his property was sold, except the castle and some land which he recovered, then died in Surimeau in 1809. His estate was then divided up and bought back.
Aligned along a straight main street, the village has been, since the 18th century, crossed by a diversion reach diverting Courance in order to feed many mills, wash houses and fountains in Epannes, Bourdet and Ile-Bapaume.
The wings and blades of seven mills (five windmills, one water mill and one cloth mill) turned at full speed in Le Bourdet at the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1856, the town had 643 Bourdetais compared to 322 in 1982 due to the disappearance of several small agricultural operations.
The village and its hamlets continue this peasant tradition by living today from dairy farming, egg production and cereal crops.
What to see at Le Bourdet?
01. Saint-Jacques church
Following the generosity of the lord of the place, the prioral church was rebuilt in 1778 on new land to replace the vast, half-ruined sanctuary (located on the site of the current cemetery). In 1863, the new bell was blessed, then, in 1868, the church was equipped with a neo-Romanesque apse thanks to the assistance of the commune, the department and the State. An interior renovation was carried out in 1980 (demolition of the ceiling revealing a beautiful framework). The sanctuary was restored from 1995 to 2009 (courtyard, apse, framework, etc.).
single-bay comb bell tower, lead tank in the baptismal font, neo-Romanesque altar (tabernacle in the shape of a church whose turrets evoke Notre-Dame de Poitiers), stained glass windows of which that of the axial window is the only one to be historicized (representation of the patron of the church with staff, bag and pilgrim's hat). Cemetery cross (1875) commemorating the jubilee.
A charming church built in 1788 and consecrated in 1789, this is not so common.
02. The Maraîchine Trail
On the outskirts of the town, this 1,8 km discovery path and 18 hectares of natural wet meadow is the best ambassador of this breeding land in the heart of Poitevin marsh. It consists of a market garden cow conservatory (rustic breed, cousin of the Parthenaise) and the gray goose of Poitevin marsh, educational course on market garden geology (presence of an old alkaline peat bog) and a botanical trail.
The project was awarded an award by the Society for the Protection of Landscapes and Aesthetics of France.
Free and open access. Parking on site.
Other curiosities to see:
- The school town hall (1877)
- Vernacular heritage: weir serving as a fountain at the entrance to the village, Alzom watering hole, La Boue washhouse, sundial dating from 1728…
- Natural and landscape heritage: Bourrées marshes, former municipal area of Bergné, former alkaline peat bog of Bourdet-Amuré (benefiting from a prefectural Biotope Protection decree), remarkable lime tree near the village hall...
