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Origin and history

The Manor of Mesnil-Vitey is an old fortified house built at the end of the 15th century on the banks of the Vieille Vire, in Airel, in the Manche department. Originally owned by the Fierville family in the 13th century, it was confiscated in 1435 by Henry V of England during the Hundred Years War, before being returned in 1457 to Robert de Fierville, husband of Marguerite de la Luzerne. This strategic site protected the Saint-Louis Bridge, a key crossing point in the region.

Around 1480 the estate was acquired by Lucas Acher, administrator of the barony of Neuilly for the bishop of Bayeux. He built the current strong house, known as Mesnilvité. When he died in 1506, the mansion passed to his son Guillaume, then to his descendants, including Henri Acher, mentioned as lord in 1598. The Acher family developed the estate, obtaining in 1613 the right of Louis XIII to organize a weekly market and two annual fairs, whose fair of Bourgais still remains today in the form of a garage.

The mansion changed hands by marriage alliances in the 17th century, passing to the Regnault families of Segrais, Croisilles, and then Le Bedey and the Boscq de Beaumont, which kept it almost two centuries. During the Revolution, he suffered destruction: two crenellated towers and all the coat of arms were destroyed. In the 20th century, it belonged to the politician Jean Michel Guérin of the Boscq de Beaumont. The house in square, surrounded by remains of crenelated walls and moats, still bears the coat of arms of Lucas Acher above his door.

Partially classified as historical monuments in 1949, the mansion illustrates the evolution of a Norman seigneury, marked by medieval conflicts, family alliances and architectural transformations. Its quadrangular enclosure, polygonal turret and defensive elements recall its both residential and strategic role in the Vire Valley.

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