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Origin and history

The Old Château de Gouffern en Auge, also known as Château d'Aubry-en-Exmes, is a building whose origins date back to the 14th century. It consists of a round tower partially surrounded by water, vestige of an ancient medieval defensive system. This dungeon, originally designed to defend the upper valley of the Dives, was integrated in the 11th century into the belt of strongholds protecting the fortress of Exmes, under the authority of the Counts of Exmes.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, during the reign of Henry IV, the lords of Aubry-en-Exmes raised the existing round structure to make it an aristocratic home. A body of two-storey square houses, flanked by rectangular turrets and covered with a roof with pavilion, was added. The mâchicoulis of the 14th century were preserved, bearing witness to its defensive past. The castle was classified as a Historical Monument in 1968 for its medieval and Renaissance elements.

According to local tradition, the dungeon would have served as a refuge for Gabriel I of Montgomery (1530–1574), a Protestant lord accused of fatally wounding King Henry II in a tournament in 1559. Although this anecdote is often cited, it is more a legend than a verified historical source. The castle was gradually abandoned after the construction of a new residence in 1808 by M. de Manoury d'Ectot, a scientist whose chemical experiments partially damaged the building.

In the 19th century, the Old Castle lost its residential function to the new neighbouring castle. The remains of the circular dungeon, surrounded by moat, and the Gothic elements visible on mid-19th century lithographs recall its strategic importance in the Middle Ages. The parish church of Saint-Caprais, now extinct, was once located in the castle park, illustrating the link between seigneurial power and religious power in the region.

The site has been protected since 1968 for its former dungeon and the remains of the castle. Architectural elements, such as the 14th century mâchicoulis and Renaissance turrets, reflect the successive transformations of the building, marked by medieval conflicts and aristocratic ambitions of the modern era. Today, the Old Castle remains a testimony to the evolution of defensive systems and seigneurial lifestyles in Normandy.

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