Le Merlerault

Le Merlerault
Commune
The church in Le Merlerault
Location of Le Merlerault
Le Merlerault Show map of France Le Merlerault Show map of Normandy
Coordinates: 48°42′04″N 0°17′11″E
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Orne
Arrondissement	Mortagne-au-Perche
Canton	Rai
Intercommunality	Vallées d'Auge et du Merlerault
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Martine Gressant[1]
Area ^1	19.1 km^2 (7.4 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	753
• Density	39/km^2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	61275 /61240
Elevation	184–321 m (604–1,053 ft) (avg. 227 m or 745 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Le Merlerault (French pronunciation: [lə mɛʁləʁo] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.

Geography

The Commune is one of 30 communes that make up the Natura 2000 protected area of Bocages et vergers du sud Pays d'Auge.^[3]

Le Merlerault along with another 70 communes is part of a 20,593 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents.^[4]

Points of interest

National heritage sites

• Ensemble castral remains of a medieval residence with a circular mound, it was registered as a Monument historique 1989.^[5]

Notable People

• Foulques du Merle - (1239 - 1314) was Seigneur of Gacé and Bellou-en-Houlme, and Baron of Le Merlerault, Briouze and Messei.^[6]
• François Pouqueville - (1770 – 1838) a French diplomat, writer, explorer, physician and historian, and member of the Institut de France was born here.^[7]
• Léon Labbé - (1832 – 1916) a French surgeon and politician was born here.^[8]

Heraldry

Arms of Le Merlerault

The arms of Le Merlerault are blazoned : Argent, a blackbird sable, on a chief azure a heart argent between 2 fleurs de lys Or.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Le Merlerault is twinned with:

• Collingbourne Ducis, United Kingdom (since 1992)^[9]

See also

• Communes of the Orne department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. "INPN - FSD Natura 2000 - FR2502014 - Bocages et vergers du sud Pays d'Auge - Description".
4. "INPN - FSD Natura 2000 - FR2500099 - Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents - Description".
5. "Ensemble castral au Merlerault - PA00110977". monumentum.fr.
6. Louis de La Roque, Catalog historique des généraux français, connétables, maréchaux de France, lieutenants généraux, maréchaux de camp. Connétables et maréchaux de France depuis les premiers temps de la monarchie jusqu'à la fin du règne de Louis XIV (Paris, A. Desaide, 1896-1902), p.25.
7. "Le Merlerault | CDC des Vallées d'Auge et du Merlerault". www.cdcvam.fr.
8. "Léon Labbé (1830-1916)". data.bnf.fr.
9. "Our village". Collingbourne Ducis Parish Council.