Eaucourt Castle

Eaucourt Castle, locally known as Château d'Eaucourt, lies in a field near the village of Eaucourt-sur-Somme, in the Somme department in France.

Eaucourt Castle was probably first built during the 12th or 13th century, on the right bank of the Somme river, by the Lords of Ferté because the French King Philip II had ordered to fortify towns to defend the newly conquered territory.

The castle resisted a siege by English troops before the Battle of Crécy in 1346. In 1358 however Eaucourt Castle was destroyed by the militia of Abbeville in order to prevent its occupation by the English. Soon after the castle was rebuilt by Simon of Boulainvilliers, but in 1421 the castle was burned down by the troops of the Duke of Burgundy.

After the Treaty of Arras in 1435 Eaucourt Castle was restored by Jean d'Eaucourt. In 1440 however the castle was pillaged by the mercenaries of captain Pierre Regnault de Vignoles.

In 1575 Eaucourt Castle was owned by the Soyecourt family. During the French Wars of Religion the people of Abbeville attacked the troops of King Henry IV who were garrisoned at the castle and took the castle.

Later Eaucourt Castle was owned by the Belleforière family. In the last part of the 18th century the castle was used as a home for the last time. After that it fell to ruin.

Eaucourt Castle was a rectangular enclosure on a small motte of 55 by 40 meters, surrounded by a moat. Its walls were built out of chalk rubble sealed with lime mortar and clay, erected on silex foundations, and were up to 6 or 7 meters high with a thickness ranging from 1.50 to 3 meters. At present only the ruin of the gate building and some foundations remain.

It is a nice, although small, ruin in peaceful surroundings. Too bad they boarded up the gate.

I recently learned that the boarding has been removed and that the site is now used for medieval re-enactments.

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