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Origin and history

The castle of the Court, located in Etienville in the English Channel, has its origins in the seventeenth century, although traces of occupation date back to Roman antiquity. In the first century, the Romans built a wooden and stone bridge to cross the marshes, on the road from Cherbourg to Coutances. In the Middle Ages, a fortification was erected near this bridge to control the passage. The family of Pierrepont, local lords, built a presbytery there around 1450, before Guillaume de Pierrepont-Étienville († 1622), governor of Valognes, inherited the estate.

The present castle was completed around 1650 by Hervieu de Pierrepont, son of Guillaume and governor of Granville. When he died in 1662, the estate moved to the Moncel family through the marriage of Élisabeth de Pierrepont with François du Moncel in 1632. Their descendants, including Louis-Hector du Moncel († 1770), followed until the 19th century. The castle, in classic style with a 35 metre facade and two polygonal turrets, is surrounded by a landscaped park including orchards, pond and gazebo.

Partially listed as historical monuments in 1975, the castle has remained a private property since 1980, owned by Anne and Philippe Gillieron. Although the house is not visited, the park hosts cultural activities (concerts, theatre) and guest rooms. Its history reflects the evolution of a Norman seigneury, marked by family alliances and architecture adapted to successive periods.

The excavations and archives also reveal a Roman and medieval past, where the site played a strategic role in the exchanges between the Cotentin and the rest of Normandy. The presence of an ancient bridge and medieval fortification underscores its historical importance even before the construction of the Renaissance castle. Today, the estate combines built and natural heritage, with an old-fashioned vegetable garden and vineyards perpetuating local traditions.

The protection of facades and roofs in 1975 aims to preserve this witness from the sixteenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, periods marked by architectural changes. The castle thus illustrates the transition between a medieval fortress and a seigneurial residence, then an aristocratic place of life under the Old Regime. Its park, open to the public, offers a bucolic setting where Norman history and biodiversity mix.

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