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Origin and history

The Castle of Combebonnet, located in Engayrac in Lot-et-Garonne, finds its origins in the 12th century as a centre of a rural exploitation protected by a small fortress. The name Combebonnet appeared for the first time in the 13th century in a document mentioning the Jordan Knight of Combebonnet, involved in a conflict between the Viscount of Lomagne and the Count of Armagnac. At that time, the primitive castle, triangular in shape, was reinforced by scauguettes and a wooden hounding on the north side, typical of gasconic fortifications.

At the end of the 13th or at the beginning of the 14th century, a square tower armed with murderers in a patté cross was added, strengthening its defence. The castle was then enlarged between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, with the addition of a wooden staircase, a chapel and a enclosure protecting nearby houses. These transformations coincide with the period when the seigneury belonged to the Beauville family and then to the Narbonne by alliance.

In the 17th century, the castle took on its present appearance with the addition of two gates in full hanger decorated with columns, dating from 1643, and the enlargement of the north wing. Threatened by a fire in 1790 by revolutionary unrest, he was saved by the villagers. The castle, inscribed with historical monuments in 1964 (façades and roofs) and classified in 1988 (donjon), preserves traces of its many transformations, including a chapel with arms of Beauville and medieval defensive elements.

The seigneury of Combebonnet passed into the hands of several noble families, including the Beauville (18th century), the Narbonne (16th-17th centuries), and the Rastignac Chapt (18th century). These families marked the history of the place by marriage alliances and architectural arrangements, reflecting the social and military developments of their time. The castle thus illustrates almost six centuries of local history, from its role as a rural fortress to its residential function under the Old Regime.

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