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Origin and history

Davenescourt Castle, located in the Somme department, was built at the end of the reign of Louis XVI by Lucie Philippine de Cardevac de Gouy, widow of Count Gabriel Melchior de La Myre. It replaces an old castle destroyed during the Spanish invasions of 1652. The estate, including an earlier 40-year-old chapel, reflects neoclassical architecture with Louis XVI facades and interior stucco decorations dated 1805. The commons, added in the 19th century, complete the whole.

The seigneury of Davenescourt went through the centuries into the hands of noble families: the Hangest, Noyelles, Vicassières, and then the Duprat of Barbançon, before being acquired in 1682 by Gabriel de La Myre, officer of the King. The castle, which remained in its descendants, became a strategic place during the First World War. In 1915 he welcomed personalities such as King Albert I of Belgium, President Poincaré and General Joffre, and would be the cradle of the idea of the Cross of War. Occupied and looted by the Germans in 1918, it was restored after the conflict.

The estate includes a park designed by Édouard André, a French garden restored after 1945, and a historic hydraulic system. Ranked a historic monument in 1977 for its facades, chapel and interior decorations, the castle sees its outbuildings (farm, cooler, dovecote) and its protected park in 2009. Its Louis XVI living room, its terrace overlooking the village and its wrought iron staircase illustrate its architectural prestige.

During the Great War, the castle served as a military hospital and staff, housing General Robillot and his 1st Cavalry Division in 1916. After the damage of 1918, its restoration preserved its role as a witness to the upheavals of the twentieth century. Today, it embodies both the picard seigneurial heritage and the scars of modern conflicts, while remaining a private property marked by the history of the family of Villeneuve-Bargemont.

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