Château de Souvré en Mayenne

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Souvré Castle, also known as Souvray Castle, is a medieval mansion mentioned in 1312 as Manoir de Souvré. Located 2 km northwest of the town of Bazugers (Mayenne), it depended on the local chestnut. Its history is marked by noble families such as the Champlais (XIVth–XVth centuries), native to Brittany, who made it their residence until the end of the 17th century. The fief offered ecclesiastical privileges, as nominal prayers in the chapel of the Virgin, granted to John of Maillé in 1466.

In the 17th century, the castle passed to the Coustards, an anobligated family in 1708 thanks to André Coustard, receiver of the sizes and forges manager. His son, François Coustard de Souvré, heir to the estate, became master of the waters and forests of Laval County. The mill stirred up local conflicts, as in 1707, where a trial opposed the miller to a vassal refusing to grind his grain, arguing for a lack of winter water – contradicted by the presence of hot water in the mill's rifoul.

During the Revolution, the castle became a cabbage den. The mill was looted in 1795 by Laval troops, and the Coustard family, imprisoned for their royalist ties, survived persecution. Alexandre-Guillaume Coustard de Souvré, aide de camp d'un chef cauan, was later appointed knight of the Legion of Honour in 1821. The weapons of the Champlais (silver with 3 gules) and the Coustard (d-azur with the golden chevron) symbolize their heritage.

The site also includes a mill, mentioned on the maps of Cassini and the State Major, whose activity was vital for fief subjects. The parish registers and departmental archives of Mayenne (B. 2.385 and 2.700 series) attest to its economic role and social tensions, as during peasant revolts or the Vendée wars. Today, it bears witness to the feudal and revolutionary history of Mayenne.

External links