Arcangues (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France in what was formerly the Basque province of Labourd.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arcanguais or Arcanguaises or Arrangoiztar in basque.
Geography
Location
Arcangues belongs to the urban area of Bayonne and is located some 10 km south by south-west of Bayonne, 8 km south-east of Biarritz, and 6 km north-west of Ustaritz.
Access
The A63 autoroute passes through the northern tip of the commune with the nearest exit being Exit to the west of the commune but the slightly farther Exit to the east connects directly to the D3 road which passes south through the commune and the village to Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle. There is also the D755 which branches off the D3 in the north of the commune and continues south through the west of the commune to join the D255 on the commune's south-western border. The D933 road from Anglet to Ustaritz also passes through the eastern tip of the commune with a roundabout linking to country roads in the commune.
Hydrography
The commune of Arcangues is traversed by the river Uhabia, the Urdainzko erreka, and the Harrietako erreka. The latter two discharge into the Nive, a tributary of the Adour.
Places and hamlets
Ablaintz
Abots
Amestoia
Arantzeta
Arantzetakoborda
Arnega
Berriotz
Bidauenea
Borda Chipia
Bordabaxea
Bordattoa
le Bosquet
Chapelet
la Chapelle
le Château
Chouroumillatché
Dornarieta
Ehailenborda
Errota Handia
Errotaxipia
Etchegaraya
Garaten Borda
Gastelhur
Gorriaenea
Haranburua
Harretchea
Hirigoina
Hotchaenea
Kalonjaenea
Kastillaborda
Lahiton
Lanchipiette
Larrebidea
Larreburua
Larrechurria
Logis d'Arbela
Lortenea
Marittipienea
Mendibista
Moulin d'Alotz
Othe Xuria
Othe Zahar
Oyhambidea
Planuya
Sainte-Barbe
Salazaharia
Salha
Teileria
Xurrumilatx
Toponymy
The basque name of the commune is Arrangoitze.
Jean-Baptiste Orpustan proposed a joining of the basque words ar-gain, meaning "high rock", and -goiz meaning "an open position facing east" which results in the compound meaning "high rocks facing east".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Sources: Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque Toponymy p. 31 Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. Goyheneche: Basque Country Arcangues: Arcangues, Under the direction of Hubert Lamant-Duhart
Origins: Bayonne: Cartulary of Bayonne or Livre d'Or (Book of Gold) Chapter: Titles of the Chapter of Bayonne Collations: Collations of the Diocese of Bayonne
History
The lordship of Arcangues
The lordship of Arcangues has been mentioned since the 12th century. Sanche d'Arcangues and Aner de Archangos were cited as witnesses or guarantors of real estate transactions between 1150 and 1170.
Plague
The beginning of the 16th century in Labourd was marked by the appearance of the plague. The Gascon registers track its expansion. on 8 February 1517 the plague was reported in Arcangues.
The King's Prosecutors
The office of King's Prosecutor belonged to the Arcangues family from the 17th century. Also Laurent, Lord and patron of Arcangues, Curutcheta, and Elissagaray was prosecutor of the Bailiwick of Labourd from 1614 to 1643. His son Jean d'Arcangues received the office of King's Prosecutor by letters patent of Louis XIII of 4 July 1643. Pierre d'Arcangues continued in the office from 1670 to 1692. Finally Squire Gaspard d'Arcangues, Lord and patron of Arcangues and Curutcheta was the last family member to hold the office from 15 April 1714 to 1749.
The Marquis of Iranda
Squire Michel d'Arcangues, Lord and patron of Arcangues and Curutcheta, baptised at Bayonne on 17 October 1719, captain of the provincial militia of Labourd, married to Rose d'Aragorri (1722-1758), by which the title of Spanish Marquis of Iranda passed to their son Nicolas François Xavier d'Arcangues (Arcangues, 1753 - Saint-Pierre-d'Irube 1826). Rights to this title was authorized in France for life in April 1781 by letters patent of Louis XVI.