Perche is a former province of northern France extending over the départements of Orne, Eure,
Eure-et-Loir and Sarthe.
Geography
Perche is bounded by Normandy to the north and west, Maine to the south-west, Vendomois and Dunois to the south, Beauce to the east and Thimerais to the north-east.
The greater part of the district is occupied by a semicircle of heights (from 650 to 1000 ft. in height) stretching from
Moulins-la-Marche on the northwest to Montmirail on the
south; within the basin formed thereby the shape of which is defined by the Huisne, an affluent
of the Sarthe, lie the chief towns of Mortagne-au-Perche, Nogent-le-Rotrou and Bellême.
Economy
Stock-raising and dairy-farming are flourishing in the Perche, which is famous for the production of a breed of large and
powerful horses, called Percherons. Cider-apples and pears are
grown throughout the dis
History
In the Middle Ages, the Perche constituted a county of which Corbon, Mortagne and Nogent-le-Rotrou were successively the capitals. Under the ancient regime it formed,
together with Maine, a government of which Mortagne was the capital.
A Source of Emigrants
In the 17th century, a large number of immigrants to New France came from Perche. Many
were recuited in the 1630s and 1650s to work for the Church missonaries and the nobles who were establishing estates on the
St Lawrence River. While the total number of emigrants were few, Perche had a much
higher rate of emigration to New France than most other regions of France. Nearly all French Canadians have some ancestors who
came from the villages of Perche.
References
External link
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