page_title: Écouché
section_title: Economic history
hierarchical_section_title: Écouché / Economic history
caption_attribution_description: Planches de l'Encyclopédie de Diderot et d'Alembert, volume 1.
context_page_description: Écouché is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Écouché-les-Vallées.
context_section_description: Markets: Every Tuesday and Friday the residents of the town, people from surrounding parishes and more or less regular pedlars descended on the Place d'Armes and the Place du Marché, while those who kept permanent shops under the porches of their houses in the Main Street served an increased number of customers.
  Purchases were made by barter or with hard cash. Deals were made orally for the most part and always ended with a glass in one of the numerous taverns in the town.
  Commercial and festive activity was accentuated with annual fairs :
  Candlemas, 3 February (2 days)
  Ascension Friday (1 day)
  Angevine, 9 September (3 days), which existed already under Philippe le Bel (King, 1285–1314)
  Saint François, the Friday before 4 October (1 day)
  Sainte Catherine, the Friday before 25 November (1 day)
  Commercial activity in Écouché was such that in the 16th century the value of the bushel in Argentan was changed to 16 pots so as to be the same as the Ecouché bushel.
  The high degree of commercial activity is confirmed by the halles consisting of four buildings, the large market, the small market, the grain market and the meat market. The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century halted this economic development: already in 1842 the textiles market closed and in 1922 the meat market was pulled down.
  Sixty per cent of the old buildings have now been destroyed – a sign of the decline of the once intense commercial life. Of the great gatherings, only the Angevine and the weekly Friday market remain.
  Saint Mathurin's Hospice
  first Hôtel-Dieu, then hospice, then hospital, now retirement home
  Just beside the Bourges Gate but beyond the moats towards Argentan an hôtel-dieu was set up in 1336 This was later than most probably because a leper house of the 12th century already existed not far away on the other bank of the Udon. The two generous founders and donors, Guillaume le Mouz and Guillaume de Coupigny,  saw in the figure of every poor wretch the image of Jesus on Earth. The hôtel-dieu was meant for the poor of the parish, and beggars from elsewhere were allowed to stay only one night. Donations of money and land were frequent – out of human solidarity, but also as a way to come closer to God and His Heaven. Certain townspeople took their devotion so far as to put themselves at the personal service of the poor, taking the name of frères condonnés. Others, at the end of their lives, donated all their property and became inmates. Day-to-day management was in the hands of a warden, who had to live on the premises and submit his annual accounts for scrutiny by the treasurer, a member of the Management Committee. The town residents chose the members of the Committee, and elected one of them chairman under the supervision of the Bishop of Sées. Over the years the regulations evolved (new regulations in 1539, 1666, 1773, 1809) and the field of action grew to include the obligation to say Mass and to extend help to the discreet poor, who were ashamed to so declare themselves and preferred to stay in their own homes. En 1666 the frères condonnés were replaced by two women appointed for life. In addition to looking after the poor inmates, they kept the "little schools for the children of the poor". In 1789 the establishment had 12 beds, 6 for men, and 6 for women. During the Revolution the chapel was decommissioned and was used as a garrison for the resident National Guard. The rest of the hôtel-dieu became a hospice for civilians. In 1809 the commune took over the management, and the hospital staff were placed under the authority of the Bishop of Sées. They wore the black habit and were veiled outside, but did not belong to a religious order, nor make vows. At the end of the 19th century they were replaced by religious sisters from one or other community, usually the Providence Order. During the 20th century their place was taken by trained paramedical staff, while the hospice / hospital was turned into a retirement home. At the beginning of that century, in spite of the difficulties connected with the First World War and owing to the devoted t
caption: 18th century lime kiln cross section
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