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Origin and history

The castle of Fosseuse, located in the present commune of Fosseuse (formerly Baillet-sur-Esches), derives its name from Rolland de Montmorency-Fosseux, who acquired the estate in 1483 by his marriage to Louise d'Orgemont, lady of the place. The Fosseuse toponym replaces Baillet after 1577, when Pierre I of Montmorency-Fosseux sold the seigneury of Fosseux in Artois, retaining only the domain of Baillet, renamed in reference to his baronal title. The family of Orgemont, from Lagny, had ties with Chantilly and Montjay, and their union with the Montmorency sealed the anchor of the castle in this noble lineage.

Built in the second half of the 16th century, the castle reflects Renaissance architecture, with remains of decorations characteristic of the period. It remained in the Montmorency until the end of the seventeenth century, before being sold in 1684 to Louise de Prie, widow of the Marshal of La Mothe-Houdancourt. After his death in 1709, the estate passed to Philippe Thome, adviser to the Parliament of Paris, who obtained his erection in Marquisat de Thome in 1752. The castle changed hands again in 1789, then belonging to Jacques Louis Le Boulanger, local lord summoned to the States General.

In the 19th century, Count Florian de Kergorlay acquired the castle in 1807 and established a majorate there after his appointment as Pair of France in 1823. The Kergorlay family kept it until 1933, when it was sold and converted into a guest house. The monument, which was inscribed at the Historical Monuments in 1992, is distinguished by its brick and stone structure, its two levels under a dardian roof, and its English landscaped park, bordered by a piece of water.

The history of the castle is marked by political and aristocratic figures, from Montmorency to Kergorlay, including parliamentarians like Philippe Thomé. Its architecture, combining Renaissance and subsequent developments, as well as its park, bear witness to the social and aesthetic evolutions of the French nobility between the 16th and 20th centuries.

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