The old castle of Planquery

 

The feudal lordship of Planquery, mentioned as early as the 11th century, with numerous estates in the surrounding area, was owned by the BACON family. Guillaume BACON accompanied William the Conqueror to fight against the English at the Battle of Hastings.

 

In 1376, the lordship of Planquery belonged to the lords MAUNY, barons of Thorigny.

 

In 1418, the castle of Planquery was taken by the English and Henry V, King of England, gave the manor to Sir John POPHAM, knight, governor and bailiff of Bayeux and Caen, in whose possession it remained until 1428.

 

At the end of the Hundred Years' War, the estate was transferred by marriage before the house of MAUNY to the GOYON de MATIGNON family and later to the d'ESPIMAY family, in whose possession Planquery remained from 1505 to 1625; Jean d'ESPINAY had a new castle built on the ruins of the former castle.

 

Through his mother, Renée d'ESPINAY, the lordship passed to Charles de RONCHEROLLES.

Since then, the head of the RONCHEROLLES family, one of the most important in Normandy, has held the title of Count of Planquery. Charles' descendants remained in this seat until 1811. The castle, of which only two towers remain, fell into disrepair around 1780.

 

After it was sold to Augustin du FAYEL, a relative of the last Count of Planquery, the "Old Manor" remained in the possession of his descendants named BONNEMIE and PESQUEREL until 1947.

 

During the Second World War, the castle was occupied by the Germans and the Field Replacement Battalion 352 (Major Georg Teudesmann, 352nd Infantry Division) was quartered there. A British air raid on a parked ammunition cart caused extensive damage to one of the towers. After the Allies landed, there was fierce fighting with American troops near the castle, whereupon the German soldiers withdrew.

 

After the war, Lepold BLANCHET took over the old manor house. He was succeeded in 1996 by Francois PICARD D'ESTELLAN, who extensively renovated the buildings and added a modern extension. Astrid & Guenter KAISER have owned the Planquery chateau since 2020.

 

The members of the RONCHEROLLES family found their final resting place in the church of Planquery, which was built in the 13th century by Guillaume BACON after his return from the Crusades.

The following are mentioned by name:

 Charles de RONCHEROLLES, buried in the wall of the bell tower in 1635;

Suzanne de LA HAVE, Countess of Planquery, buried in the choir in 1695;

Nicolas Charles de RONCHEROLLES, Count of Plangery, buried in the choir on the Epistle side in 1761, where his first wife, Madeleine LE CORNIER de SAINTE HELENE, was also buried in 1709, and his second wife Madeleine VAULTIER in 1716, but on the Gospel side;

Marie Charles François de RONCHEROLLES, Count of Planquery, buried in the choir in 1776.

 

The exact position of the castle in relation to the two remaining towers has not yet been clarified. Each tower is almost quadrangular with thick masonry sloping out at the bottom. In addition, one has a spiral staircase, the other a staircase and living quarters.

 

Some remnants of the architecture from the 15th and 16th centuries are recognizable, such as signs of openings and smaller windows, in particular four embrasures, two on each tower. However, the overall appearance is characterized by the architecture of the 17th century. In 1793, supporters of the royal family left "graffiti" on the old bakehouse, including a dated French lily, the symbol of the royalists.

 

Finally, it is worth mentioning the grille and the portal, which were unmistakably created towards the end of the 19th century.