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Department - Indre 36
State - Chateau Ruin
The grounds of the Chateau de Villedieu depended on the chateau was always very large, it covered up to 4.500 hectares at the beginning of the XXth century, the 3rd largest in the Indre region after Valencay and Lancosme. Since the Xth century, i.e. the foundation of the priory by Prince Raoul de Deols who made gift of this ground of Villedieu to the monks of St Gyldas (who, thereafter, yielded it to Eudes de Deols in exchange of certain privileges 1012-1034), the owners of the land of Villedieu were as follows.
Ebbs of Deols, brother of Eudes, until 1160. The family of Chauvigny, which will reign there more than three centurys betwen 1189 to 1503.
The Bouteiller family, undoubtedly at the origin of the rebuilding of the castle at the beginning of the XVth century, after its destruction of 1287 on order of the Parliament, Guillaume Bouteiller, prisoner of the English for 24 years, was delivered it by the count of Angouleme. He will yield in 1456 to Jean d'Angouleme.
Francois, comte d'Angouleme, future Francois 1st, inherited the grounds and the chateau, it is not sure that he even came here. He made a gift of it on December 24, 1514 to Arthur Gouffier, count d' Etampes, nephew of Philippe de Montmorency, high at the court of Charles VIII. Governor of Francois 1st during his youth, Arthur Gouffier of honor by Francois 1st, the most famous owner of the chateau de Villedieu. Arthur Gouffier hardly benefitted from its generosities since he died in 1519. His/her brother Gouffier died in Villedieu in 1533. - The Gouffier family separated itself from the chateau and its grounds in 1588 to the profit of Imbert de Roche, Baron de Gargilesse and of Villedieu, for 10.000 books.
Charles de Gaucourt, married to Charlotte de Rochefort, lord of Bouesse, ruined himself by successive acquisitions and had to take refuge in the priory of Villedieu, driven out of his chateau by its creditors?
The families of Mouchet and Guilloteau were the owners of the beginning of the XVIIIth century in the French revolution; the last lord of Villedieu to carry this feudal title was Andre Guilloteau. - After the Revolution, the ground of Villedieu passed between several hands, of which Francois de Mendi from Spain living in Madrid.
James Brown, English, in receipt of the chateau in 1823, increases it in size to 3.600 hectares, modified the chateau to give it what it is now its current aspect, and resold it later 20 years later to the family Masson de Montalivet, whose members included the Minister of Interior Department of King Louis Philippe.
It remained the property of the family of Montalivet until 1922, before belonging to the baron de Pelichy, selling pieces off to museums during the 1930's and finally gave up the chateau after the last war (WW2). it has been abandoned since the 1950's.
For some unknown reason this chateau was abandoned around 1950, now uninhabited, it falls gently into ruin due to no maintenance, it's huge grounds now make up the local golf course. It's amazing what it used to look like, what a sad loss.
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