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Origin and history

The castle of Rosamel, located in Frencq in Pas-de-Calais, is built at the end of the 18th century on the foundations of a strong house dating back to the 15th century. The current building, designed by the Bolonnais architect Giraud Sannier for Claude Louis Marie du Campe de Rosamel, Marshal of the armies of Louis XV, consists of four houses arranged in square around a central courtyard. Its homogenous architecture, in stone and covered with slate, includes outbuildings and a chapel, now partially in ruins.

The seigneury of Rosamel was acquired in 1710 by Louis du Campe, squire and master of Les Eaux et Forêts du Boulonnais. His grandson, Claude Louis Marie du Campe de Rosamel, undertook the reconstruction of the castle from 1770, but the works were not completed until 1820. When he died in 1808, the estate moved to his son, Claude du Campe de Rosamel, an officer of the navy and future minister, whose descendants retained him until his sale in 1919. The park, once with long prospects, is now partly converted into agricultural land.

Ranked at Historic Monuments since 1966 for its facades, roofs and moats, the castle gradually fell into ruins after the 1970s. Part of its roof and floors collapsed, although the commons and gate of the court of honor remain. The site, private, bears witness to the architectural and noble heritage of Boulonnais, between Montreuil and Boulogne-sur-Mer, near the sea and the A16 motorway.

Historical sources, such as Michel Parenty's and Philippe Seydoux's works, underline its importance in local heritage. The castle illustrates the evolution of the gentilhommières of the region, mixing residential, agricultural functions (via its adjacent farm body) and symbolic, reflecting the social status of its successive owners, linked to the navy and the royal administration.

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