Château des Etoyères en Mayenne

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Origin and history

The Château des Etoyères, located in Saint-Céneré in the department of Mayenne, is mentioned as early as 1459 as a "accommodation" surrounded by moats, reservoirs and dovecotes, with clean land justice. The fief, moving from Gresse and the Chapelle-Rainsouin, was subject to specific seigneurial rights, such as the "gastel" and the "song of the new bride", as well as a right of grazing (grazing) for pigs on the eve of Saint John. His subjects were to fulfill these customs, reflecting a social organization typical of medieval seigneuries.

In 1481, the estate was named Les Estouères, then Les Estoyères on later maps (Hubert Jaillot, Cassini). The site included a chapel on pilgrimage, where a painted glass depicting Saint John the Baptist, noticed for its quality in 1840, attested to his local devotion. The castle, described as a "old fortress flanked by round towers with niches", was surrounded by deep ditches and a drawbridge. Its ruins, observed in the 19th century, suggested murderers and an imposing defensive structure, although the modern castle has no visible traces.

The fief of the Etoyères was incorporated into that of Gresse before 1683, marking its gradual decline as an autonomous seigneurial entity. The archives also mention a mill and a bridge over the Jouanne, a river bordering the estate, as well as two tributary streams cited in 1459: the Reaulté River and the Voisins River. No information is available on the specific lords or significant events after the 17th century, except its transformation into a modern castle erasing medieval remains.

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