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Origin and history

The Château de Pont-Rilly, located in Négreville in the Manche, is a 16th and 18th century building, partially listed as historical monuments. Its history begins in the Middle Ages with a seigneurial estate, followed by a first mansion built at the end of the 16th century by Richard the Cesne, baili of Cotentin. This mansion, with a chapel, was mentioned in Gilles de Gouberville's newspaper as being under construction in 1564. The fief of Pont-Rilly, acquired by Richard le Cesne in 1564, then includes houses, mills, ponds and land, held under the castle of Valognes.

In the 17th century, the estate passed into the hands of the Plessard family, then was sold in 1663 to Louis Berryer, near Colbert, before being ceded to the Scelles de Cybrantot family. In 1718 Charles-Adrien-Félix de La Houssaye obtained the erection of the Marquisate of La Houssaye-Négreville. His son, Hyacinthe-Paul-Charles de La Houssaye, Marquis d'Ourville, began in 1765 a major transformation of the castle with architect Pierre-Raphaël Lozon, adding two pavilions and a central vanguard. The works, completed in 1774 under the direction of Nicolas Durand, also include the lower court, the communes and a chapel.

Abandoned after the death of the Marquis in 1791, the castle was bought in 1905 by the Mareuil family. During World War II, in 1944, it temporarily housed the US Army Logistics Staff (ADSEC/COM Z) before their transfer to Paris. Left abandoned in the 20th century, it was saved in 1982 by Claude Brosselin and the husbands Roucheray, who faithfully restored it thanks to the archives preserved, including plans and inventories of the 18th century. Today, the castle, surrounded by a 15-hectare park with canals and mill, remains a private property not open to the public, although cottages have been set up in its former communes.

The castle is distinguished by its architecture combining a 17th-century mansion transformed into an aristocratic residence, with a central forebody, a perron and side pavilions. Inside, the small living room is decorated with a Jouy canvas reproducing the journey of Louis XVI to Cherbourg in 1786. The Armored shield of the family of La Houssaye, originally planned for the northern pediment, now adorns the southern facade. The park, classified among the remarkable gardens, includes a complex hydraulic system with canals, bief and mill, as well as a bakery and stables.

Ranked a historic monument in 1985, the Château de Pont-Rilly protects its facades, roofs, interior lounges with their decor, chapel, stables, mill and its ordered park. This inscription also covers the honour avenue, the court of honour and the lower court, thus preserving the integrity of this Norman architectural and landscape heritage. The site, though private, bears witness to the evolution of seigneurial residences into residences of pleasure in the eighteenth century, as well as their role during major historical periods, such as the Normandy Landing.

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