According to
Gourgues’ dictionary the name LOLME comes from the Occitan OLM
(‘orme’ meaning elm) which in turn comes from the Latin ULMUS.
In his dictionary, Father Carces mentions the elm saplings
planted next to the church.
A stone quarry which supplied Monpazier’s constructors with
high-quality stone existed nearby. In 1556 a priory was cited
as a dependence of Souillac in the Lot. In 1833, a royal
decree fixed the boundaries between Lolme and St Romain and,
at the request of the municipal council, a prefectorial order
authorised fairs to be held on 17th February and 17th
September every year. The older people of the village remember
the days when these fairs were still held regularly.
In 1900 the
commune counted a population of 300 although nowadays it
averages 110.
With a surface area of 692 ha, the commune in fact counts 111
inhabitants today.
The commune of Lolme is
situated in the canton of Monpazier
along the CD 660 (the Bergerac to Cahors road) between Beaumont
du Périgord and Monpazier. The village nestles in a valley
overlooked by a plateau which stretches out into the distance
over the Lot et Garonne ‘département’. The north-eastern side of
the commune is covered in forest and the remainder is farmed
with tobacco, maize and cereals, and planted with plum orchards.
Text translated by Pays du Grand Bergeracois (professional translator).