Bédée

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The name of Bédée would come from the Gaulish "Bedo" (= pit) or "betu" (= birch) and the suffix -iscum. The transcription of the name has changed: Bedesc in 1120, Bidisco in 1122 Bedensi in 1152, Bédec in 1187 and Bédiscum in 1330. It is from the XVth century that the name of Bédée appeared in its actual writing. It can be mentioned that there is a character named Bède the vulnerable, a monk living in England during the VIIIth century. This rare name looks curiously like Bédée. Some Anglo-Saxon monks colonised Brittany in a distant past and left their name: Saint Méen, Saint Malo, etc. Searches in that direction could enable to consolidate this hypothesis.

During Prehistory, humans lived on the actual territory of Bédée. Indeed, prehistorical tools have been found (ex: polished axe) in villages such as la Morinais, la Rioulais and la Motte Besnard. Archaeological excavations took place in 2011 on the site of the ZAC du Pont-aux-Chèvres and enabled to find a site dated from the Bronze Age.

During the Gallo-Roman period, men also lived on the territory of Bédée. Excavations have also been done and ceramics, vases, piece of pottery, and above all a statuette of a mother goddess in red terra cotta in the village of la Métairie Neuve have been found.

It is from the Xth century that feudal mottes were developed. They were the first castles, built in wood and on heights, on mounds of earth. One of these feudal mottes can be found at the entrance of the town; it is the motte Jubin…

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