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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Gonneville Castle, located in the commune of Gonneville-Le Theil (former municipality of Gonneville, Manche), has its origins between the 15th and 17th centuries. Its architecture combines a 14th century square dungeon, circular towers and an 18th century home, reflecting successive transformations. The site, partially demolished in the 19th century in the hope of discovering a treasure, preserves remains like a poterne and five towers, surrounded by moat. He was the residence of the family of Barthès de Montfort and played a role during the League's Wars, during which time François de la Cour du Tourps, leader of the league, was killed there in 1592.

The seigneury of Gonneville, originally linked to the baronie of Nehou, was mentioned as early as 920 in an act of donation by Richard de Saint-Sauveur. She passed into the hands of several noble families, including the Montauban, the Laguette (the king's secretary in 1527), and the Pirou. In the 16th century, the seigneury was divided between Jean de Pirou and Jean Laguette, the latter having acquired Gonneville and Quinéville in 1527. The fief extended to several nearby parishes, demonstrating its strategic and economic importance in the Cotentin.

The castle is inseparable from the Gonneville forges, created in the 16th century by the brothers Thomas and Jean Laguette, Viscount de Valognes. These forges, active until the Revolution, were replaced by a spinning in the 19th century, illustrating the industrial evolution of the site. The estate also includes a cork oak classified as "remarkable tree" and moats with their bridge, elements protected since the castle's inscription in the Historic Monuments in 1972.

Gonneville-Le Theil, which emerged from the merger of Gonneville and Le Theil in 2016, retains traces of its medieval and modern past. The historic village, centered around the castle and the church of St.Martin (XV–XIX centuries), also houses Roman remains, such as the ancient way of Hamel-es-Ronches. The region, marked by Scandinavian influence (Gunnovilla toponymy), was a strategic crossroads, as evidenced by Jean's stay without Earth in 1194 and 1203.

The lake of Gonneville, created to feed the forges then the spinning, and the wood of Blanqueville, remains of the old forest of Cotentin, complete this heritage. The site, now partially occupied by Cherbourg-Manche airport, illustrates the superimposition of the eras, from protohistory (bronze axes) to industrial era (rewarded filament in 1819).

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