Bavent

Bavent () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Baventais'' or ''Baventaises''.

Geography

Bavent is located on the northern edge of the Caen plain some 8 km north-east of Caen and 6 km south-west of Cabourg. Access to the commune is by the D513 road from Varaville in the north-east which passes through the commune just north of the village and continues south-west to Hérouvillette. Access to the village is by the D236 which comes from Amfreville in the north-west. The D224 branches from the D513 in the commune and goes west to the village and continues to Goustranville. The D95A goes north from the village to Gonneville-en-Auge while the D95 goes south to Troarn. The D37B branches from the D513 in the west of the commune and goes north to Bréville-les-Monts. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of ''Chateau de Beneauville, Chef-de-Rue, Les Harnots, Grand Plain, La Ritachere, Le Prieure, La Petite Bruyere, Roncheville'', and ''Robehomme''. The commune is mostly farmland except for a large forest in the south.

At 1845 hectares, the commune is the largest in the canton of Cabourg. Its highest point (66 m) is located in the west near a place called ''La Grande Bruyère''. Its lowest point (2 m) is at the exit of the Dives from the commune.

Due to its proximity to the sea, Bavent enjoys an oceanic climate. The nearest weather station is 19 km away at Caen-Carpiquet.

The river Dives forms the south-eastern border of the commune as it flows north-east to join the ocean at Houlgate. The ''Divette'' rises in the commune and flows north to join the Dives. The ''Douet du Moulin du Pre'' rises in the commune and flows north-east to join the Divette north of Varaville. The ''Saint-Laurent'' stream flows from the south through the commune and continues to join the Divette just north of the commune. The ''Ruisseau du Bois de Bavent'' forms part of the southern border of the commune.

Toponymy

''Bavent'' is attested in the forms: ''Bavent'' in 1059,Ernest Nègre
''General Toponymy of France''
Librairie Droz, 1990, Vol II, 676 pages, p. 829 & 974, . ''Badvento'' in 1063, and ''Batvent'' in 1066.Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, ''Etymological Dictionary of place names in France'', Larousse, Paris, 1963

The origin of this place name divides Toponymists:

*Dauzat and Rostaing suggest ''bat vent'' meaning "a place where the wind blows"
*René Lepelley makes a similar hypothesis: that of an old mill whose "sails are blown by the wind".René Lepelley, ''Etymological Dictionary of names of communes in Normandy'', Éditions Charles Corlet, Condé-sur-Noireau, 1996, BnF 36174448w p. 60 There is fact a mill at Sénoville (Manche), called ''La Masse de Bavent''.
*Ernest Nègre proposes an explanation of Bavent from a German anthroponym ''Badvin''.

It is also possible to suggest the Celtic name ''-ent-'' Latinized to ''-entu'' (m) which is also found in Douvrend (''Dovrent'' in the 12th century)''The Names of communes and old parishes of Seine-Maritime''
ed. A. et J. Picard, François de Beaurepaire, preface by Marianne Mulon, 1979, Paris, 180 pages, , , p. 5 preceded by an unknown element in the absence of an older form. The same suffix has been identified in Nogent (''Novientum'', from ''novio'' meaning "new") and Drevant (''Derventum'' from ''Dervo'' meaning "oak", cf. Breton ''derv'' also meaning "oak").

The name is homophonic with ''Bavans'' (''Bavens'' 11th century, the name of a German man ''Bavo'' with the Germanic suffix ''-ingen'' Romanized to ''-ingos'').

''Robehomme'' is attested in the forms: ''Raimberti Hulmus'' in 1083, ''Rambertihulmus'' in 1149, and ''Robbehomme'' in 1190.

The first element ''Robe-'' comes from the German anthroponym ''Raimbert''. The second element ''-homme''n is widespread in Normandy in this form with the hiatus (the "h" is aspirated): ''Le Homme'' (not ''l'homme'' cf. Saint-Quentin-sur-le-Homme). This is a toponymic appellative derived from Old Norse ''holmr'' meaning "island" or "meadow at the edge of the water". It also took the forms ''Houlme'' and ''Hom''. Moreover, there is a hamlet of ''Hom'' at Robehomme.

There is also a personal name associated with a Norse appellative ''topt'' giving ''-tot'' as in ''Raimbertot'' at Cauville-sur-Mer (Seine-Maritime).

Bavent appears as ''Bavent'' on the 1750 Cassini Map and as ''Baven'' on the 1790 version.

Robehomme appears as ''Robehomme'' on the 1750 Cassini Map and as ''Robe homme'' on the 1790 version.

History

In 1974 the commune of Bavent (984 inhabitants in 1968) merged with Robehomme (122 inhabitants in 1954).

Heraldry

*These arms do not respect the Rule of tincture and are therefore faulty.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Twinning

Bavent has twinning associations with:
* Geiselbach (Germany) since 1988.
* Stoke Canon (United Kingdom) since 1983.

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 1,814 inhabitants.

Economy

The Terreal Group has a tile production plant in the commune.

The Mesnil pottery of Bavent manufactures finials of Faience. It holds an ''Enterprise label of living heritage'' and its expertise is included in the ''inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France''.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*The Manoir Venoix (17th century). In 1944 the mansion had significant damage and was renovated in 1948 with some additions and changes.''The heritage of the communes of Calvados'', vol. 1, Flohic Éditions, 2001, Paris, , p. 359-362
*The Pavilion of Pottery (1842).

The commune has a number of buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:
*The Chateau of Bavent (17th century)
*The Château of Béneauville (1589)
*The Château of Béneauville Park The Chateau contains a Clock (16th century) which is registered as an historical object.

Religious heritage

*The Church of Saint Hilaire (12th century, much altered in the 19th century).
*The Church at Robehomme

Sports

*The Bavent Football Club has a soccer team in the district division.Ligue Basse-Normandie official website
F.C. Baventais, consulted on 21 August 2014

Notable people linked to the commune

* Henri-Gabriel-Marie Le Bègue de Germiny (1811-1900), politician, Mayor of Bavent

See also

*Communes of the Calvados department

References

External links

Bavent official website

{{authority control

Communes of Calvados (department)