Baronnie de Sillé

The baronnie of Sillé included/understood, in addition to the city, the castle, “ the public places”, the Forêt of Bercon, the territories towards the west, in particular the châtellenie of Orthe with its vassal, the lords of Courtarvel, the Suspension brace, Courtoussaint, Lucasière, Roufrançois, etc, which owed forty days of guard with the Château of Sillé; more the mound of Montfaucon to the senior of the Chapter of the Mans. The whole concerned Mayenne, except Montfaucon, for which the lord of Sillé was to attend the establishment of the bishop of Mans and to carry a corner of his litter.

Vassalage

But the baronnie also concerned the count of Maine, “ with three knights of ost for his besoing ,” and town of Sillé keeps it “ for the defense of the county ”. The lord enjoyed a sergentery being exerted on all the county, and half of the sergentery of Vallon, in the fifth of Mans and beyond the the Sarthe towards the town of Sillé. These clauses, contained in the consents or homages of the 14th century, were to go back almost to the origin of the strongholds.

This Vassalité with respect to the count does not prevent from believing that the infeodation of the baronnie had been made by the Viscount of Mans on his own concession. To the 14th century, one still says that Sillé is in the Viscount of Beaumont. The castle, built at the origin of feudality, seems well to belong to the line of the fortresses raised by the Viscount of Beaumont, or his vassal, and which from Thorigné goes to Borough-the-King, passing by Holy-Suzanne, Évron, Courtaliéru, Sillé, Beaumont, Fresnay. One knows moreover that the Viscounts had Sablé, Solesmes, the Charnie, Holy-Suzanne, Évron and a skirt of forest until the Forêt of Pail and with that of Currency, of which they under-inféodèrent a part. Sillé in the same way had the being and in same time.

The baronnie of Sillé did not have the extent of that of Mayenne and Laval from the domanial point of view, but consisted especially of strongholds of knighthood via the stronghold of Orthe, of feudal loads like the general sergentery of the county, and the young girl of Ballon.

The barons de Sillé were generous towards the Church and the convents. A junior, Berard de Sillé, was the first founder of the Abbaye of Beaulieu-lès it Mans, at the beginning of the 11th century, without damage of the chaplaincy of the forest of Milesse. The elder ones founded in their castle collegial like the barons of Laval, Castle-Gontier and Craon, of which they left the emoluments to the provision of the bishop. One sees them with the number of the principal benefactors of the abbeys of Évron, of Étival, Bellebranche, Champagne.

Seals

The armorié seal of the family of Sillé appears in 1210, under Guillaume IV of Sillé (1210 - 1237), charged with 6 lion cubs, without counter-seal. The legend disappeared (0,07). One knows of them another of same, of 1213, suspended with a Saint-Remy cheese charter of Sillé, which carries a fasce accompanied by 7 merlettes, 3 as a chief and 4 at a peak, 3,1. Perhaps this variety is explained by an indecision of the primitive type. In any case, the ecu with the 6 lion cubs prevailed. One will find it under the same lord in 1215: equestrian seal, horse launched to the gallop on the left; the rider carries one ecu triangular charged with lion cubs: the counter-seal has one ecu similar to the seal of 1210. The legends disappeared.

Guillaume VI of Sillé (1288 - 1324) has to represent its two alliances two seals: one of 1295, triangular, with weapons coupled of Sillé, and other coupled, charged with 3 escutcheons, which cannot be of Mayenne whose name was extinguished, but well Mathefelon (3 escutcheons instead of 6 like one does it by simplification); caption Gothic: S. GUILLERMI OF SILLIACO MILITIS; the S are circumvented. The second, of 1302, is also of Sillé with coupled ecu of the Famille of Broussin: with the confined saltire of 3 stars and a small cross at a peak. One can recall here that Béatrix, back-small-girl of Guillaume VI, succeeded as abbess of Étival Béatrix de Broussin. Another seal (0,028), of Guillaume VIII of Sillé (1362 - 1396), has one ecu charged with 6 lion cubs, leaning, stamped of a heaume summit of a head of bearded man in a flight, supported of two birds with human head (August 25th, 1383). According to the Armorial de Berry (15th century), Silly in Maine carries of gold to 6 lion cubs from mouths, 3,2 and 1, armed and lampassés of azure. In 1572, the seal of the court of Sillé was always with the ecu charged with 6 lion cubs, but arranged 3 and 3.

Baronnie de Sillé

Vassalage

Seals

Family