Harcourt

Harcourt in eastern Normandy gave its name to a powerful noble family. Its stone castle, begun in the twelfth century and enlarged in later generations, combined a lordly residence with formidable defences. A double ditch and a fortified outer court protected the buildings, while round towers guarded the entrance.

Raised to a county in 1338, Harcourt was drawn into the Hundred Years' War. The English took its fortified castle in 1418, and French forces recovered it after a siege in 1449. It changed hands again during the Wars of Religion and its walls suffered serious damage from artillery. In the late seventeenth century Marie-Françoise de Brancas transformed the fortress into a more comfortable residence, opening large windows and laying out a formal garden.