L’ancienne halle aux marchands

Only the larger villages where markets and fairs were held had their own wheat market. In Rieumes, there was already a corn market in the Middle Ages on the Place d’Armes. It was replaced in 1829 by the round covered market. However, as the latter was not practical, it was turned into a market hall. On 18 July 1870, it was decided to builda new wheat market (now the Denis Paunéro village hall).

With very few exceptions, all the grain from the canton and from a few communes in the canton of Le Fousseret and L’Isle-en-Dodon was sold in Rieumes. Wheat was the wealth of the countryside. Flour was extracted from it and used to make bread, the staple food. Each farmer brought his sacks of wheat to the market. It was weighed and, depending on its quality, traders bought it at the current “mercuriales” price.

The covered market was full of vendors, as were the surrounding squares. Sheets, rouennerie, fabrics of all kinds, millinery, bazaars of all kinds flocked there. Poultry: geese, ducks, turkeys and, during the hunt, game, were the subject of a very important trade, with buyers and sellers meeting there.