Château d'Orcher 1.7

The Château d'Orcher is a castle in the commune of Gonfreville-l'Orcher in the Seine-Maritime département of France.Built to protect the mouth of the River Seine, it includes an imposing square crenellated tower. In the 18th century it was transformed into a residence.HistoryThe Auricher fiefdom was created by the Duke of Normandy for a family who got the name Aurichier from a place down in the Seine Valley and built the castle with a chapel (Sainte-Honorine) on top of a cliff overlooking the Seine. The square keep was surrounded by a trapezoidal enceinte, defended in the 13th century by three square towers. In 1360 it was partly destroyed on the orders of officials from Harfleur. Rebuilt later, it was taken by the English in 1415 at the same time as Harfleur.The Crespin family was dispossessed by Henry V. Some French sources state that Henry gave the castle to John Falstaff, the fictional Shakespearean character, but this is almost certainly meant to be Sir John Fastolf. In 1434, the castle and its associated possessions and privileges were given to the Duke of Bedford. In 1449, the estates reverted to the Crespins and later, by legacy, went to the Brézé family in 1488 and finally to the O family in 1539. In 1604, the Orcher land was decreed to be the property of Georges Laillet seigneur of Auricher, and consisted of castle, fortress and house covered with slate. In 1632 the estates became the property of the Potier family.