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The Château de Bellencombre is a château in the commune of Bellencombre, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, northern France, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Dieppe. It is the ancestral seat of the House of Warenne.
| Château de Bellencombre | |
|---|---|
  Château de Bellencombre Location within Upper Normandy | |
General information | |
| Status | Occupied château with adjacent medieval castle ruins |
| Type | Château |
| Location | Bellencombre, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France |
| Coordinates | 49°42′30″N 1°13′30″E / 49.70834°N 1.22498°E |
| Owner | Warenne family Bellencombre Commune (ruins) |
History
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Medieval château
editThe Château was founded around 1050 by William de Warenne, later the 1st Earl of Warenne and Surrey[1][2], as a traditional Norman motte and Bailey castle.[3]
After the Norman Conquest, Bellencombre remained the seat of the Earl of Warenne’s Norman estates, until the separation of England and Normandy in 1204. The estate then passed through a series of owners, and suffered a number of sieges. After the final siege in 1472 by Charles the Bold, the chateau was abandoned.[1] An inscribed slab in the local parish church however shows that the governorship of the castle continued to exist as late as 1519.
Following its abandonment, the medieval castle fell into ruin. In 1834, the remains were partially dismantled and sold as building materials.
17th century château
editIn the 1640s, during the English Civil War, the Warenne family returned to Bellencombre and acquired land near the ruins of the medieval château, where they constructed a residence. Following the restoration of King Charles II of England, the family returned to England, although they retained the property.
The house was extensively altered and largely rebuilt during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Present day
editIn 2017, the Association de Sauvegarde du Château de Bellencombre (Association for the Preservation of the Château de Bellencombre), or A.S.C.B., was formed to preserve the remaining ruins. The association works in partnership with the Commune of Bellencombre, which owns most of the ruin site, and the Warenne family, who own the wider estate encompassing the ruins. [1]
The Château de Bellencombre remains one of the principal residences of the Warenne family, and the family are reported to occupy the house during the summer months, and participate in local community events.
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Bellencombre Castle – Château de Bellencombre". Château de Bellencombre. Association de Sauvegarde du Château de Bellencombre (A.S.C.B.). Retrieved 2025-10-29.
- ↑ Lower, Mark Antony (1850). "On the Castle of Bellencombre, the original seat of the Family of De Warenne in Normandy (English)". Sussex Archaeological Collections. 3: 29–34.
- ↑ Round, J. H. (January 29, 1902). "XII.—The Castles of the Conquest". Archaeologia. 58 (1): 313–340. doi:10.1017/S0261340900008973 – via Cambridge University Press.
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