Translation from the Latin of the Duke de Caumont La Force’s motto :
« The strongest is crowned.
It is strength which forges the path ahead »
« FORTIO CORANTUR
FIT VIA VI »

A Brief History of the Commune

Agricultural surveys carried out in the Dordogne in 1867 into the geographical site and possible age of La Force questioned whether one should look to the etymology of the village’s name and go back to the Latin root ‘Fortia’, therefore Roman Fortia which suggests the presence of an early castle or fortress, or whether the village thus called because of its geographical position raised high above the Dordogne plain ?

In 1604 the Duke of Caumont La Force built a château which was destroyed in 1793 leaving only the central lodge and banks around which the old town centre grew up.

Another element altering the shape of the commune was the construction in 1848 of an asylum by the Rev. Jean-Marc Antoine BOST, known as John BOST to the east of the village. Today the Foundation is an important factor in the local economy.

Geographical Situation

Situated to the South-west of the department in the Dordogne valley, the commune of La Force is approximately 12km from Bergerac and can be reached by three departmental roads, the D34, D4 and D16.

La Force is the chief town of the canton and is situated in the « Périgord Pourpre » bordering on the Gironde département.

It covers a surface area of 1560 hectares composed of three different land types.
• The alluvium plains of the Dordogne and Eyraud represent about one third of the territory and are farmed with cereals, tobacco and a variety of crops. There are a few houses on the edge of the plain.
• The village of La Force is situated on a plateau at an altitude of 60 - 80m. The land is of an irregular quality due to the heterogeneous siderolithic strata and the shallow ground water. (i.e. : The land is composed of sand, gravel and clay and watered from various sources.) The area is principally used for housing.
• The northern plateau is closed in and covered in heathland and woods made up of clumps of leafy trees and conifers. The land is partially maintained; it is criss-crossed with DFCI fire-control paths. This is also an area which is lived in, particularly in the sector called ‘Pas Del Tru’

The commune’s surface area is 1560 hectares and it has a population of 2500.



Text translated by Pays du Grand Bergeracois (professional translator).