Origin and history
The Château d'Eaucourt, located in Eaucourt-sur-Somme in the Hauts-de-France, is a medieval vestige whose origins date back to at least the thirteenth century. A castral chapel, dedicated to Sainte-Marguerite, was mentioned in 1301 under the name Aqua curte, linked to Marguerite de Picquigny, wife of Mathieu de Roye. This castle, surrounded by ditches, would have been built in response to Philippe Auguste's defensive policy (1165–1223), aimed at securing the lands recently conquered in the Ponthieu. Its initial architecture included a dungeon-refuge and a rectangular enclosure of 40 x 50 meters, reinforced by towers and a mâchicoulis entrance chestnut.
In the 14th century, the castle suffered repeated destruction in the context of the Hundred Years War. Demolished for the first time in 1358 by Abbeville's troops to prevent its occupation by the Navarres and the English, it was rebuilt before being repeated several times between 1420 and 1421. In 1421, Jacques d'Harcourt, governor of Crotoy, took him back to the Anglo-Bourguignons before he was burned by Philippe le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, in July of the same year. Reconstructed in 1436 by Jean d'Eaucourt, it was looted in 1440 by Pierre Renaud de Vignolles, who ransomed his lord.
From the 15th century on, the castle changed hands several times through marriage alliances or sales, notably to Isabelle d-Eaucourt (wife of Louis d-Humières in 1499) and Françoise de Soyecourt in 1575. During the Wars of Religion (1589), the Catholic leaguers of Abbeville took over after a siege against the Protestant troops of Henry IV, leading to its gradual dismantling. In the 18th century, it was still sporadically inhabited, as evidenced by the presence of François Vaillant (1777–79), before being abandoned. The remains, partially preserved until 1795, then deteriorated rapidly.
Since 1983, the Association for the Restoration of the Castle of Watercourt (A.R.Ch.E.), founded by Damien Maupin, has been carrying out conservation and animation work on the site. Archaeological excavations (2015) revealed a polygonal tower and traces of the seigneurial house. The castle, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1926, now offers educational visits, workshops on medieval know-how (stone size, leather work), and events such as the Medieval Know-how Festival (May) or the Rendez-vous du Fleuve (since 2014), attracting up to 17,000 visitors annually.
Architecturally, the castle was characterized by an entrance châtelet flanked by two towers, a drawbridge, and a stair tower with a screw. The descriptions of the 19th century (R. Belleval, 1860) evoke an independent square dungeon, surrounded by three round mâchicoulis towers, similar to those of the Château de Rambures. The current remains include low walls, the châtelet arcade (restored in 1989), and still visible ditches. A 1795 engraving shows the dungeon still standing, with flat tile roofs, before its gradual disappearance.
The site, managed by volunteers, highlights medieval daily life through re-enactments and participatory projects. The animations are aimed at schools (April–July) and the general public, with themes such as the reconstruction of a castle, the medieval garden, or craft techniques. In 2013, there were 15,000 visitors, including 2,000 for the medieval festival in August. The excavations of 2015 confirmed the extent of the seigneurial house, offering new perspectives for understanding the site.
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