Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Allemans-du-Dropt found its origins in the 13th century, with the construction of a primitive building of which there remains a round tower at the base and octagonal in its upper part, surmounted by a ribbed dome. This castle, located in Guyenne, was given in the 14th century to Bertrand de Goth, nephew of Pope Clement V and lord of Monteux, by the King of England. On his death in 1324, a conflict of inheritance broke out between the count d'Armagnac (husband of his daughter Régine, died without descendant in 1325) and the heirs appointed by substitution. In 1336, the castle finally fell to a nephew, Bernard de Lamotte.

In the 15th century, the estate came into the hands of the Ricard family, notaries who owned the Château de Frémauret. After the death of Pierre de Ricard, his widow Jeanne de Bouilhaguet remarried in 1575 with Jean de Vaucocour, squire. The castle then changed hands, belonging successively to the families of the Cars and then Sansac (from Saintonge), who kept it until the Revolution. Ruined during this period, it was partially demolished, leaving only the west wing (XVIth-17th centuries), marked by sill windows and a lintel door, as well as a tower classified as a Historic Monument in 1984.

The west wing, redesigned with two pavilions framed by a central body, bears witness to the architectural transformations of the 16th-17th centuries. The tower, the only vestige of the primitive castle, illustrates the evolution of medieval defensive techniques, with its round base and octagonal upper part, crowned by a veined dome. These elements, combined with the archives, offer an overview of the seigneurial struggles and family alliances that marked the history of Guyenne.

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