Corpe () is a
commune of the
Vendée department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" ().
...
region in western
France.
History
The name Corpe is derived from an old French word for a
crow 'Corp'. Corpe is part of the
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
of Mareuil-sur-Lay and was originally an agricultural community. It is recorded in the rolls of the Battle of Agincort that Monsegnior de Corpe was captured by the English and held ransom at the sum of 200,000 billets. The price of his ransom reflects the fact that he was a major player in the war as the ransom for a Man at Arms was 1,000 billets. There is no record of any such ransom ever being paid.
More recently as the number of people employed in farming declined due to mechanisation, Corpe grew to accommodate people working in the businesses in and around
Luçon due to the good communications. The wealth of shops and businesses in nearby
Luçon and Mareuil-sur-Lay means that there are few facilities in Corpe, only a church and a cafe. A new Zone Artisanale is planned at La Frise to accommodate local tradesmen and is due to start construction in 2013.
Geography
The river
Smagne
The Smagne () is a river in the Vendée '' département'', western France. Its source is near Bourseguin, a hamlet in Bourneau. It flows generally west. It is a left tributary of the Lay into which it flows between Bessay and Mareuil-sur-Lay-D ...
forms most of the commune's northern border.
Transportation
The main road from Luçon to La Roche sur Yon (D746) passes very close to the village, the
A83 motorway is only 12 km away and the beaches of south Vendée are less than 30 minutes by car. The village is entirely surrounded by farmland and provides a tranquil location which is however well connected.
See also
*
Communes of the Vendée department
References
Communes of Vendée
{{Vendée-geo-stub