Chauvigny, Harcourt Castle
Harcourt castle was built by the Harcourt family
within the bishop of Poitier's city of Chauvigny, although the first
mention of a Harcourt, John III (d.1329), holding the castle was in
1323. On 28 April 1377 an agreement was made between Bishop Bertrand Maumont of Poitiers and Viscount
Louis Harcourt of Châtellerault, about their respective
rights at Chauvigny, part of which was that the back door of Harcourt
castle, which had recently
been made, would be walled up and the bridge and the gate in front of
it be demolished. A hundred years later the castle was handed by
Viscount Charles Anjou of Chatellerault () to the bishop on 21 May 1447.
Description
The first castle was a simple rectangle built against the city wall
about 100' north of the Baronnial castle. It is thought to date
from the twelfth century and has circular solid turrets. A later
L-shaped tower with rounded turrets penetrates the city wall to the
east.
Why not join me here and at other French
castles? Information on this and other tours can be found at Scholarly
Sojourns.
Copyright©2019
Paul Martin Remfry