Château de la Morinerie en Charente-Maritime

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Morinerie, located in Écurat in Charente-Maritime, has its origins in the 16th century. The first known owner was Pierre Senné, Sieur de La Fourest, captain of the bridges, gates and towers of the city of Saintes, who lived there in 1593. This noble house, then called "house of La Morinerie", belonged to an influential family in the region, the Senné, involved in local administration and justice.

In 1618, the estate passed through marriage to the Duval family, when Charles Duval, Sieur de Varaise, married Catherine Senné, daughter of Pierre. Charles Duval, concierge of the royal prisons of Saintes, then passed the house to his son Guillaume Duval. The latter, the king's attorney at Saintes, undertook the reconstruction of the castle around 1670 to replace an older building. The archives mention a estimate of 1690 for a 94-foot wing, intended to house cellars, cellars and attices.

The castle remained in the Duval family until the 18th century, before passing to the Poitevin by inheritance. Louis-Nicolas Poitevin, the king's attorney, then his son Jacques-Nicolas, a lawyer in the Bordeaux parliament, became its successive owners. In 1895, the descendants of the Poitevin sold the estate to Gaston Charrier, merchant in brandy and mayor of Plassay. The castle was listed as a historic monument on December 3, 1969, and its gardens were recognized as remarkable in 2003.

The architecture of the castle reflects the transformations of the seventeenth century, with buildings organized around a central house and utility outbuildings. Guillaume Duval, by bringing down the old buildings, modernises the estate to make it a seigneurial residence adapted to its social status. The materials and layout of the premises, although partially modified over the centuries, keep traces of this pivotal period.

The castle of the Morinerie illustrates the evolution of noble houses in Saintonge, marked by family alliances and the administrative functions of their owners. Its history, linked to local figures such as the Senné and the Duval, reflects the social and economic dynamics of the region, between justice, commerce and seigneurial power.

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