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Origin and history

The castle of Auberville, located in the commune of Auberville-la-Manuel in the Seine-Maritime, is a 15th and 16th century building, partially renovated over the centuries. It is distinguished by its rectangular enclosure flanked by turrets and its imposing entrance pavilion, adorned with ears attributed to architect Ferdinand Marrou. The estate also includes a dovecote, characteristic of the seigneuries of the time. Ranked Historic Monument by decree of 14 April 1930, it already appears on the map of Cassini in the 18th century, testifying to its local importance from this period.

The municipality of Auberville-la-Manuel, attested from the eleventh century under the name Osberni villa, derives its name from a Scandinavian anthroponym, Ásbjörn, reflecting the Norman heritage of the region. The castle, represented to the west of the parish on ancient maps, embodies the typical seigneurial organization of the land of Caux, where rural areas played a central role in economic and social life. Local toponymy, marked by determinants such as La-Manuel (formerly La-Meluel), illustrates the linguistic and administrative evolutions of Ducal Normandy.

In the 20th century, the castle was restored, such as the renovation of the roof of the entrance porch in 2012 by Béchet Compagnon. This work is part of a desire to preserve the heritage, while the municipality, classified as rural with dispersed habitat, retains a majority agricultural land use (90.5 % in 2018). The site, although protected, remains discreet about its current accessibility, no recent information indicating its openness to the public or its contemporary uses (rents, visits).

The local climate, of a frank oceanic type, with marked humidity and frequent winds, may have influenced the architectural design of the castle, including its drainage systems or materials. The average annual temperature (10.6°C in 1971-2000) and the abundant precipitation (863 mm/year) are characteristic of the region, where medieval constructions had to adapt to these environmental constraints.

Finally, the castle of Auberville is part of a larger historical landscape, including the church of Saint-André-Saint-Côme-Saint-Damien, another notable monument of the commune. Although few local lords are mentioned in the archives, Charles Leroy's La Seigneurie d'Auberville-la-Manuel in the land of Caux (1929) sheds light on his role in the Norman feudal hierarchy. Today, the site remains an architectural testimony of the transitions between the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Caux.

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