Bailleulmont Castle

Bailleulmont Castle, locally known as Château de Bailleulmont, lies in a field next to the village with the same name, in the Pas-de-Calais department in France.

Bailleulmont Castle is probably older than the village itself. The Lords of Bailleulmont were first mentioned in 1096 when a knight, called Romuald de Balleoli-Monte, jousted at a tournament in Anchin. He was probably the founder of Bailleulmont Castle. This fortress had a large courtyard, surrounded by stone walls with several towers and standing on a base of sandstone. It was considered to be a strong castle.

Later the seigniory passed successively to the following families; de Saveuse, d' Estouteville, de Béthune, de Melun, Epinoy, and finally de Guines Bonnières.

At the beginning of the 15th century Bailleulmont Castle was rebuilt by the Lords de Saveuse. It was devastated in 1477 by the Swedish troops of Louis XI in reprisal of the alliance of Philippe de Saveuse with Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.

Before Bailleulmont was completely restored, it was sieged and taken by the army of Francois I. Short time later, in 1523, the castle was taken by the Spanish.

Later in the 16th century the Duke of Vendôme sieged Bailleulmont Castle. And despite the reluctance of his officers in front of a fortress which was considered to be impregnable, he managed to take the castle but several of his captains were killed or wounded. After this the Duke blew up all the towers and razed the castle to the ground.

At present all that remains is a part of the keep of Bailleulmont Castle. The field in which it stands clearly shows the former moat. The field is private, so it can not be visited.

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