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Origin and history

The Château de Grand-Fougeray, located in the eponymous commune in Brittany, finds its origins in the 12th century with a construction initiated in 1189, probably on the order of Olivier II Tournemine or John II de Rieux. This castle, originally equipped with nine towers, today retains only its 13th century dungeon, nicknamed Tour Duguesclin, as well as the remains of its enclosure. The Le Beuf family, lord of the place since the 11th century, was the owner of it until 1235, when by covenant it passed to the family of Rieux, which kept it until 1424.

In 1354, Bertrand Du Guesclin took over the castle by a daring trick: disguised as loggers, he and his men penetrated the fortress by hiding their weapons in wooden fagots worn by peasant accomplices. Previously occupied by the English until 1350, the castle became a symbol of the Breton reconquest. In the 15th century, openings were pierced in the dungeon, while its high parts were probably abrased later, under Louis XIV.

In the 18th century, the castle was acquired by Charles Jean Locquet de Grandville, a Malouin merchant, who used his stones to build a new Renaissance castle nearby and houses in the village. The dungeon, the only remaining medieval vestige, was classified as a Historic Monument in 1913. It was 34 metres high and 13 metres in diameter, and once housed a dovecote on its top floor, now partially extinct.

The family of Rieux, owner of the premises from 1235 to 1425, deeply marked the history of the castle, while the dismantlings of the eighteenth century erased much of its original enclosure. Today, the dungeon bears witness to medieval defensive architecture and struggles for the control of Brittany between French and English.

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