Ambernac () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Charente department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

region of south-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ambernacois'' or ''Ambernacoises''.

Geography

Location and access

The commune of Ambernac is located in the north-east of the department of Charente on the western edge of the ''Country of Charente Limousine''. It belongs to the ''Community of communes of Confolentais''. It is located 10 km west of Confolens and 11 km north-east of

Saint-Claud Saint-Claud (; oc, Sent Claud) is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. The small commune is located northeast of Angoulême. Population Personalities The commune is partly the ancestral home of Sir Wilfrid Laurier ...

. It is also 47 km from Angouleme - the prefecture, 10 km from Champagne-Mouton, 10 km from Roumazières-Loubert, and 6 km from

Saint-Laurent-de-Céris Saint-Laurent-de-Céris () is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Charente department The following is a list of the 364 communes of the Charente department of France. The ...

. The D951, the ''Route d'Angouleme'' road from Confolens to Gueret and the link road to the ''Route Central-Europe Atlantic'', passes through the south of the commune 4 km south of the village. The village is served by several small regional roads: the D169 from Roumazières to Alloue and Épenède, D170 from Manot in Champagne-Mouton, the D174 to

, and the D313 east to Confolens.IGN Map on

Géoportail Géoportail is a comprehensive web mapping service of the French government that publishes maps and geophysical aerial photographs from more than 90 sources for France and its territories. The service, first developed by two public agencies (the ...

The nearest railway station is at Roumazières and it is served by the

TER Ter or TER may refer to: Places * River Ter, in Essex, England * Ter (river), in Catalonia * Ter (department), a region in France * Torre (river), (Slovene: ''Ter''), a river in Italy * Ter, Ljubno, a settlement in the Municipality of Ljubno ob ...

service between Angouleme and Limoges.

Hamlets and localities

The commune has some large hamlets such as ''Saint-Martin'' (a former parish) and ''Montermenoux'' northeast of the village. There are also smaller hamlets: *''la Grange des Mottes'' *''le Breuil'' to the north *''Clermont'' *''l'Allemandie'' to the west

Geology and relief

The commune is geologically in the

Aquitaine Basin The Aquitaine Basin is the second largest Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary basin in France after the Paris Basin, occupying a large part of the country's southwestern quadrant. Its surface area covers 66,000 km2 onshore. It formed on Varisca ...

and the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

. The valley of the Charente consists of marl of the

Lias Group The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the Low Countries and the north of Germany. It consists of marine limestones, sh ...

while the plateau of the large western half consists of Tertiary terrain (

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

: red in the north, flint clay and alterite in the south), covering a

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

limestone bedrock. There is a metal-bearing Jurassic geological fault and there are traces of

scoria Scoria is a pyroclastic, highly vesicular, dark-colored volcanic rock that was ejected from a volcano as a molten blob and cooled in the air to form discrete grains or clasts.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, eds. (2005) '' ...

and lead-silver mine galleries along the Charente. The east of the commune is on the Limousin plateau - the western part of the Massif Central - which is composed of crystalline and

metamorphic rocks Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, caus ...

- relics of the

Variscan orogeny The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. Nomenclature The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...

. The valleys of Rouillac and Braillou are carved into

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

and areas of sandy clay cover the plateaux. The relief of the commune is that of a plateau with an average altitude of 190 m; quite hilly as it is traversed from south to north by several valleys including that of the Charente to the west. The highest point of the commune is at an altitude of 232 m located in the Ambouriane Forest in the north-east. The lowest point is 147 m located along the Charente on the northern boundary. The village overlooks the confluence of the Charente and the Braillou and is 185 m above sea level.

Hydrography

The Charente is still small downstream from Roumazières and upstream from Alloue and it flows north across the west of the commune. The ''Braillou'' (stream) has its source in the town of Manot and traverses the commune to join the Charente on its right bank. The ''Rouillac'' is an intermittent stream which is a tributary of the Braillou at Saint-Martin. The ''Ruisseau des Vergnes'' is a tributary stream of the Charente on its right bank south of the village. Finally there is the ''Ruisseau de Flagnat'' which is the southern boundary of the commune. There are also short intermittent streams in the many valleys and small ponds due to the clay soil.

Climate

As for a large part of the department, the climate is

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

Aquitaine but it is slightly degraded in the vicinity of the ''Charente Limousine'' - the climate there is more humid and slightly cooler.

Toponymy

The locality is attested in the forms: *''Andebrinnacum'' *''Andebrenaco'' *''AmbronacumJean-Marie Cassagne and Stéphane Seguin, Origin of the names of towns and villages of Charente'', ed. Jean-Michel Bordessoules, 1998, 311 pages, p. 13, 53 and 88, Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing explain the first element ''Ambern-'' as the name of a person in Latin: ''*Ambarrinus'' (but not substantiated) with the suffix ''-acum'', of the Gallic origin ''*-āko''. However, although the forms ''Andebrinnacum'' and ''Andebrinnaco'' may be correct they are not consistent with the proposal of Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, who obviously did not know of them. Three Gallic elements can be identified: ''ande'' meaning "below, in front of" cf. "canopy" from ''*ande-banno'' or ''ande'' - an intensive particle commonly used in place names, such as: ''Anderitum'' (Cantal,

Anterrieux Anterrieux (; oc, Antarrius) is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region of southern central France. Geography Anterrieux is located some 30 km south by south-west of Saint-Flour and 20 km west by north-west of Sa ...

), ''Andematunnum'' (Haute-Marne,

Langres Langres () is a commune in northeastern France. It is a subprefecture of the department of Haute-Marne, in the region of Grand Est. History As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe known as the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then ...

), etc. followed by a radical -''brenn-, brinn-'', of an obscure meaning, but which is identified in Bernac (''de Brenaco'' in 1110), among others. It is followed by the same suffix ''-acum''. *The hamlet of Breuil takes its name from the Low Latin ''brogilum'' of the Gallic origin ''brogilos'' meaning "small wood". *The name of Clermont refers to a hill with a clear view.

History

''Andebrenaco'' was inhabited by the Lemovici. It was subdued by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

in 51 BC during his 8th campagne and it was a Gallo-Roman

Viguerie In Southern France, a ''viguerie'' (; la, vicaria) was a mediaeval administrative court. A ''viguerie'' is named for the place it serves or is found in, that is, the main town of the borough, which need not be its (administrative capital). Appear ...

. He had a certain importance during the tome of the

Merovingians The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

due to the existence of a lead mine at Chéronies and a

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

. The village became the medieval seat of an archpriest who benefited from royal largesse. The old Roman road from Angouleme to Bourges via Argenton passes 1.3 km to the south-east of the town. One portion was found between ''Luxérat'' and ''La Vallade'' as well as at ''Chez Pasquet''. A milestone with a Roman inscription was discovered in the old cemetery and was probably located on the old road. It can be seen at the ''Archaeological museum of Angouleme''. Ambernac was part of the former province of

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

and the

Limousin dialect Limousin (French name, ; oc, lemosin, ) is a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the three departments of Limousin, parts of Charente and the Dordogne in the southwest of France. The first Occitan documents are in an early form of this ...

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

is spoken in the commune. Praisnaud Castle was home of the Babaud family and was mentioned in the 16th century. A lower Puynode Castle would also have existed at that time. Jean-Baptiste-Barbaud Praisnaud was sub-prefect from 1831 to 1848 during the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 F ...

. Leonid Barbaud-Praisnaud was an MP in 1848 then was prefect for Charente in 1871. Antoine-Barbaud Lacroze was an MP and his son Léonide was State Councillor and Senator. There existed a tile works (present in the Land Registry in 1835) and lime kilns at Chéronnies. There was also a windmill: the "Moulin Ambernac". In 1935, the actor

Noël-Noël Noël-Noël (born Lucien Noël, 9 August 1897 – 5 October 1989) was a French actor and screenwriter. Partial filmography * ''La prison en folie'' (1931) - Yves Larsac * '' When Do You Commit Suicide?'' (1931) - Léon Mirol * '' Mistigri ...

bought Praisnaud and he enlisted in the maquis during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Administration

In 1793, Embernac belonged to the canton of ''Allouë'', then in 1801 to that of Champagne-Mouton, then finally in 1802 to the ''Canton of Confolens-Nord'' before eventually becoming ''Ambernac''. List of Successive Mayors

Population

Distribution of age groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Ambernac and Charente Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Ambernac (16009)
/ref>

Economy

Ambernac is primarily an agricultural commune. The commune has a rural holiday cottage.

Equipment, services and local life

Education

The school is an inter-communal educational group (RPI) between Alloue, Ambernac, and

Benest Benest () is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Charente department The following is a list of the 364 communes of the Charente department of France. The communes cooperate ...

. Alloue has a primary school (kindergarten and elementary) and both Benest and Ambernac have an elementary school.

Other services

Other services are in nearby communes and especially in Confolens.

Life in Ambernac

There are several associations: the ''Amicale Sportive'', ''Gym Tonic'', the ''Cavaliers du Mas'' and the Hunting Club with an Old Age Club and a Festival Committee. A commemoration of the Battle of Ambernac is held every last Sunday of July.

Sites and monuments

Civil heritage

*The Chateau of Plaisnaud (16th century) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée It consists of a rectangular building flanked diagonally by two towers topped with conical roofs. The west tower is a remnant of a building from the 16th century although the tower is from the 19th century. It has an imposing round ''fuie'' indicating that the local lord was entitled to high and low justice. *A

Lavoir A lavoir (wash-house) is a public place set aside for the washing of clothes. Communal washing places were common in Europe until industrial washing was introduced, and this process in turn was replaced by domestic washing machines and by laun ...

(Public laundry).

Environmental heritage

The banks of the Charente are Natura 2000 zones. There are three hiking trails: ''Clermont'' and ''Ambouriane'' each 9 km long while ''Chez Guilloux'' is 13.5 kilometres.

Notable people linked to the commune

was an actor who is buried in the commune cemetery.