Situated at the mouth of the Lay...
In the 15th century, it was better known as the trading and fishing port of "Grand Jonchet".
The port developed its trade around grain and wood destined for La Rochelle, Bordeaux and Brittany...
In 1793, during the French Revolution, it supplied the port of Les Sables d'Olonne, enabling it to withstand the siege by the "insurgents".
The port flourished and reached its peak around 1886, and is said to have been the leading grain exporter on the Atlantic seaboard in 1844.
Gradually overrun by silt, it ceased trading in 1906.