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Origin and history

Herclat's manor house, built between the 16th and the first half of the 17th century, stands on the former commune of Néville-sur-Mer, now integrated with Vicq-sur-Mer (Manche). This isolated site, accessible by an impasse 1 km south of the village, is distinguished by its organization in closed courtyard, with two houses in square and blind communes on the outside. Architectural elements, such as low arched doors, sled windows, or exterior stone stairs, reflect stylistic changes between Renaissance and Norman classicism. An interior chimney retains partial polychrome decorations and erased coats of arms, while a granite lintel carries the presumed arms of the Le Roux d'Auville family.

The manor is associated with the family Thomas, Sieurs de Herclat, established in Neville around 1550. In the 17th century, Christophe Thomas, captain of the coasts under Louis XIII, was the certified owner. In 1643 he married Marie Lecanu, daughter of the Sieur du Bas-Marest, before bequeathing the estate to his descendant Marie-Bonaventure Thomas, wife of François de Beaudrap, baili de Bricquebec. For two centuries, the Pontus family operated the manor house as a farm, a place of birth in 1763 for Blessed Jean-Baptiste Michel Pontus, a Parisian vicar massacred in 1792 and beatified in 1926.

The facades, roofs and cartrete doors of the manor house and its communes have been listed as historical monuments since 7 March 1975 (remedied in 1975). The site also preserves a remarkable oak and an adjacent house with 16th century elements. The ensemble illustrates the evolution of Norman seigneurial residences, between residential, agricultural and symbolic functions, in a rural context marked by the Wars of Religion and the Old Regime.

The layout of the buildings around a central courtyard, typical of Norman manors, met both defensive and practical requirements. The main house, with its raised ground floor and grilled windows, bears witness to safety concerns, while the communes, equipped with doors adapted to the passage of barrels, reveal an agricultural and wine-growing activity. Interior decorations, such as the coat of arms fireplace, highlight the social status of the owners, although shared between farmers and lords.

The manor house of Herclat is part of the heritage of the secondary houses of the local aristocracy, halfway between the castle and the manor farm. Its history reflects family alliances (Thomas, Lecanu, Beaudrap) and political upheavals, from the Catholic Reformation to the French Revolution. The beatification of Jean-Baptiste Pontus, born on site, adds a memorial and religious dimension to the site, today protected for its architectural and historical authenticity.

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