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Origin and history

The Château de la Villaudray has its origins in two distinct areas: the seigneury of the City (alias la Guéhardière) and the estate of Audray, united in the 16th century. In 1572 and 1577, Jean de Feschal already resided in his seigneury of the City. Later, Gaultier officially merged the lands under the name Villaudray, a name he adopted for his family. The present castle, rebuilt with its chapel, dates from at least the year XII (1803-1804), when its conservation was requested. A covered gate, vestige of the old mansion, still remains.

The Gaultier family of the Villaudray deeply marked the history of the place. Jérôme Gaultier, anointed by an office as king's secretary in the 17th century, married Françoise Le Hirbec in 1687. Their descendant Daniel was mayor of Laval (1739-1745), while François-Jérôme, canon and dean of Saint-Tugal, was deported to England during the Revolution and died there in 1798. The family, affected by revolutionary upheavals, saw several of its members imprisoned during the Terror, including Daniel-Anne-Victor and his bru Madeleine-Anne Le Clerc.

In the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Kersabiec, then the Treton de Vaujuas-Langan. The archives mention strategic matrimonial alliances, such as Marie-Anne Gaultier's with Marie-Charlotte Duchemin du Bois-du-Pin in 1779, consolidating the prestige of the seigneury. The site, located 3 km south of the village of Beaulieu-sur-Oudon, near the lake of La Guéhardière, illustrates the architectural and social evolution of a provincial nobility between the Ancient Regime and Revolution.

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