Histoire

At the XIXème century, the condition of the islanders seems fixed: the woman works the ground, the man saw sea (sailors of trade, sailors of State, fishermen). Towards the end of the century, this diagram grows blurred. The island in spite of its insulation, is not subject to of it less the external influence, in particular by the intermediary of the maritime activities. Indeed, as of second half of the XIXème century, the merchant navy with veil is competed with more and more by the new means of transport (boat with vapor, railroad...). It is thus necessary to be directed towards new activities. This is why much of sailors islanders emigrate towards the large French ports (Le Havre, Rouen...). Today, of these sailors, there remains only one small community of fishermen and a restricted number of sailors. This declining maritime vocation made place in the course of time with the activity now paramount of the island: Agriculture. Mixed-farming and breeding characterized agriculture îlienne
auXIX 2nd century.

	ISLAND OF BATZ: small history The legend affirms that there was formerly in the island a dragon which exerted terrible devastations. At the first centuries of the Christian era, Pol. Aurélien, coming from Ushant arrived at Batz to exert its ministry there. The governor of the island begged the saint to deliver the country of this horrible monster. Pol. agreed to it. With a gentleman of the canton of Cléder, who was used to him as guide, it moved, vêtu of its vestments, towards the cave of the animal. Arrived there, it ordered to him to leave. The dragon was not made request but its reception was rather little engaging. It advanced towards the two bold ones. It is until pol. waited. Without letting itself intimidate by the fury of the animal, it surrounded him the neck of its stole. At once the dragon was calmed. Carried out by this leaves impromptu, it followed the saint submissively and pushed kindness until disappearing in the sea. One still shows in the north of the island, at the place which bears the name of "rear Toul sarpent", the Hole of the Snake, the claw of the dragon in the stone. The two heroes were rewarded. The gentleman accepted the privilege, for him and its descendants, of going to the church the sword to the side at the time of certain religious festivals. As for Pol., it accepted many present of which a palate that it transformed into monastery. But it was not limited to this first miracle; it is him which made spout out a source in the island, it cures three blind men, two dumb men and paralytic. After its death, about year 600, it was buried in Saint-Pol-de-Léon. The history still reveals that English incursions, at the XIV 2nd century, disturbed the life of the island. Iliennes pushed back one of them by directing their churns with butter in anfractuosities of the rocks. An old proverb islander claims: "Nor three, nor hundred English does not frighten me ". The revolution, in the island, did not pass without leaving of trace. Thus of 1793 to 1799, one carried out burials without priestVeil and water sports are practised at the same time in the Island of Batz and Roscoff, board with veil, kayak of sea, centre-board etc... 2 hiking roads make it possible to skirt the score of beaches and the 14 km of coastal paths. The islanders also balked to lodge the soldiers who came to remove all to them. This hostility with the soldiers did not prevent the islanders from giving hunting to English frigates. In 1940, some islanders crossed the English Channel to join General de Gaulle in London.