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Origin and history

The Château de Montfort, located in Remilly Les Marais in the English Channel, is a former castle built in the late 15th century, probably after the Hundred Years War. It is one of the last defensive buildings erected in this area. Although its origin may go back to a family of Montfort, local lords in the Middle Ages, no evidence confirms this hypothesis. The site was initially a fief of the honour of the Hommet, attested from the 13th century, but the present castle was mainly shaped by the Marquetel de Montfort family from 1522.

The Marquetel de Montfort family, anobliated in 1478, acquired the fief de Mons in Remilly-sur-Lozon in 1522 and built a new castle there, mixing medieval elements (towers, scauguettes) and Renaissance innovations (windows). This castle reached its peak in the 17th century, but declined after the death of the last heir, Laurent-Félix de Marquetel, in 1755. The inventory after his death reveals unusual details, such as the absence of shoes, suggesting a disease (drop). The estate, already degraded, then passes into the hands of the Lampere family, which envisages a restoration without realizing it.

In the 19th century, the castle was partially dismantled: its stones served as a quarry, and a house was joined to the portery around 1840. In 1900, only exploitable land and the guardian's house remained. Saved from the destruction during the Second World War, the site was bought in 1980 by the association Les Amis du Château de Montfort, which undertook major restoration work. Today, the gate, the commons and the guardhouse are restored, while a third of the seigneurial buildings remain in ruins, preserved in the state.

Montfort Castle has been listed as a historic monument since 1978. A local legend evokes a three-kilometre underground linking the site to the Butte Saint-Clair, sheltering a treasure. However, the marshy position of the castle and the lack of evidence make this history improbable. The current remains include a Renaissance home framed by medieval towers, a scauguette, a 15th century pigeon tree, and a portery and commons accessible to the public.

Architecturally, the castle illustrates a stylistic transition: its general appearance remains medieval (courtesy, peppery), but its large door windows announce Louis XIII castles. The visit of the outsiders is free all year round, with summer activities. The site, managed by Saint-Lô Agglo, bears witness to both Norman seigneurial history and contemporary efforts to preserve the heritage.

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