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Origin and history

The House fort called Ferme du Fossé is a historical monument located in Échevannes, in Côte-d'Or, in the region Burgundy-Franche-Comté. This castle, also called Château du Fossé, is located in a loop of the River Tille, at the northern exit of the village. It is a strong house surrounded by large ditches filled with water, typical of medieval defensive buildings adapted to their natural environment.

According to the archives, the fort house was mentioned as early as 1311, when Guillaume, lord of the Fossé, emulated his land between Crécey and Échevannes. In 1402, Peronelle, the lady of Til-Châtel and Courcoudre, admitted this strong house to the bishop of Langres. In 1417, Jean de Savoisy, squire and lord of Minot and Bellenot, the mortgage, before she returned to the Til-Châtel for the entire 15th century. These references illustrate its strategic and seigneurial importance in the region.

In the 16th century, the castle was besieged by the Leagues in 1590, before being liberated by Guy de Tavannes. In 1626 Denis Rousseau became his lord. In the 18th century, Fossé was described as a strong house with agricultural buildings, surrounded by ditches fed with fresh water. The site then falls to the seigneury of Til-Châtel, itself under the authority of the bishop of Langres. These elements underline its role both defensive, seigneurial and agricultural.

In 1724, Monsieur de Bretagne, lord of Is-sur-Tille, gave the count of Fossé to the Marquise of Trichâtel. Later, in 1793, the astronomer and deputy Charles-François Dupuis bought the castle as a national property for 22,000 pounds. He died there in 1809, marking a transition between his seigneurial use and his entry into the modern era. The castle is partially classified as a Historical Monument in 1984 and 1986.

Architecturally, the Fossé consists of several buildings arranged in a rectangular enclosure, itself surrounded by wide ditches. Access is via a dormant bridge and a restored drawbridge leading to a peg tower. The main house body, dating from the 17th century, is completed by a rectangular tower. The ditches, 15 to 30 metres wide, are fed by the Tille and empty by a overflow. These features make it a remarkable example of a strong Burgundy house.

The restoration of the castle was rewarded with the Regional Heritage Prize in 2002, highlighting efforts to preserve this historic heritage. Today, the site bears witness to centuries of history, mixing defensive, seigneurial and agricultural functions, while illustrating the architectural and social evolutions of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

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