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Origin and history

The castle of Frespech, located in the village of the same name in Lot-et-Garonne, is mentioned for the first time in 1279 under the name of castrum of Fessopodio. The first known lords, from the family of Durfort, exercised seigneurial justice in the thirteenth century. Arnaud de Durfort, Viscount of Labourd, and his descendants, faithful to the kings of England, strengthened the site, but were sanctioned by the kings of France, as in 1344 when the estate was confiscated before being returned. The castle resisted the sieges badly, as was the one led by the Count of Armagnac in 1354.

In the 15th century, the seigneury passed to Montferrand, a family that remained faithful to the English until 1453. Bertrand I of Montferrand adapted the fortifications to firearms, but the castle often changed hands, especially after the controversial sale by Charles II of Montferrand in 1572. The Wars of Religion marked Frespech for a long time: occupied by Protestants in 1575, it was besieged without success by Blaise de Monluc. The Montferrand family retained the estate until 1681, despite temporary sales and accumulated debts.

In the 17th century Frespech became the property of the Gourdon de Genouillac by marriage, then sold to the Duke of Roquelaure in 1681, before being acquired by the Raigniac family until the Revolution. The last lord, Gaston-Jean-Baptiste-Joseph de Raigniac, was guillotined in 1794, and the castle, sold as a national property, lost part of its architecture (like its monumental staircase demolished around 1848). Ranked a historical monument in 1925, today only remains of the vestiges of medieval fortifications and reshuffles of the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

The architectural elements still visible include a 16th century scald pierced with cannons, a door in the middle of the hanger near the old castle, and traces of the courtesines adapted to the snout. The door of the barbacan, vaulted in a cradle, and a niche of guard sinking bear witness military adaptations. The oldest building body, in stone, features walled bays and a moulure cornice, while an 18th century building, formerly a stable, completes the whole.

The lords of Frespech, often involved in regional conflicts, illustrate the tensions between the kingdoms of France and England, then between Catholics and Protestants. The Durfort family, excommunicated for tithe conflicts, gradually gave way to the Montferrands, some of whom, like Guy de Montferrand, became Protestants and participated in religious violence. The final sale to the Raigniac family marked a period of relative stability until the Revolution, where the castle, a feudal symbol, was partially dismantled by the inhabitants.

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