The population during the centuries

A censier from 1344 indicates that the population in Chateauneuf Calcernier at that time counts about 2000 inhabitants. The popes' arrival in Avignon 1305-1309 and the building of the popes' castle 1317-1333 has brought prosperity to the area and has caused a dramatic rise in the population in Chateauneuf. It's uncertain how many inhabitants there have been in the town before 1300 but it has certainly been a smaller number. Around 1300 the average population in French parishes was 500 inhabitants. The next 350 years there was a nearly constant decrease in the population to about 600 in 1694. The next three centuries the with a few backsteps the number of inhabitants again rise to about 2000 - just as in the days of the popes in Avignon and Chateauneuf.

There was a dramatic decrease in the population from 1500-1548 (more than 60%). It's uncertain what was the cause of this decrease.
During the XVII century, many epidemics of plague afflicted Comtat. One of them, in 1628, hit Chateauneuf. It's uncertain how many victims there were in Chateauneuf but there were 3.000 in Carpentras. The plague is undoubtedly to some extend responsible for the brutal fall of the population which passes between 1606 and 1694. From 1.200 to 558 inhabitants.
The plague 1721-23 ment 127 victims in Chateauneuf.
The uncertain times of the revolution from 1789 was another setback.
The phylloxera crises from 1866 which destroyed nearly all vineyards had great effect on the population.

In 1936 the village has 188 agricultural employees. Only 15 of them were born in Chateauneuf, 39 were born in the department, 62 were born in other departments and 72 were foreigners (38 Italians and 30 Spaniards). Out of 145 wine growers 55 were not born in Chateauneuf. These facts made the significant rise in the population during the 20th century possible.

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Updated 05-02-2006