La Saucerie Manor

La Saucerie Manor, locally known as Manoir de la Saucerie, lies in the countryside west of the town of Domfront, in the Orne department in France.

In 1198, Eleanor of Aquitaine gave these lands in the marshes of Rouellé-la-Haute-Chapelle as a fief to her vassal Robert le Saucier, who was chef saucier and bailiff of her Domfront Castle. He then built a manor on a moated motte.

Through marriages and inheritances the manor came into the possession of the Villaines family during the 14th century. A century later it went to the Doynel family. They fortified the site and turned it into a castle which included a manor, a farm and a powerful gate building.

The castle was rebuilt during the 16th/17th centuries. This turned the manor into a Renaissance style château. Also the upper parts of the 2 round towers flanking the gate building were replaced by Norman style timber framed structures.

During the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century the estate was confiscated and sold by auction. The Doynel's later bought it back but the manor house was destroyed by fire in the mid-19th century. The site remained just a farm. So what we see today is not the manor but its gate building.

Descendants of the Doynel family still own the site which was restored at the beginning of this century. There were plans to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast but apparently these plans were not carried out.

At present La Saucerie Manor can freely be visited. The interior of the gate building however is not accessible. A nice site in the countryside. The medieval town of Domfront with its castle is nearby.

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