Governors of Walk

An interesting document on the family of Saint-Germain-Bowsprit was published by the archivist Auguste Bosvieux. It is about a copy of the register of the clerk's office of the seneschalsy of the Marche, reporting the d'" installation; Armand Louis Foucauld, knight, marquis of Saint-Germain and Bowsprit, count of Dun and Crozant, lord of Guierthe, the Places, Terrail, Pierrefitte, Proges, Mandresac and others lieux" , as governor of the Walk of living of his/her father under the terms of the letters granted by the king in March 1711. With this occasion, the sénachal of Walk pronounces a praise of the family of Saint-Germain-Bowsprit, of which it recalls the very complete genealogy since Hugues Foucauld, who appears like signatory in 1115 in a donation carried out by the Boson widow the Old man, count of Walk, and by Audebert and Boson the Young person, his children. According to this source, the first " knight of Saint-Germain-Beaupré" would have been Guillaume II (grandson of Hugues and wire of Guillaume I), qualified like such in a deed of gift to the abbey of Grammont (or Grandmont?) in 1227.

In 1347, Guillaume III of Saint-Germain-Bowsprit is named governor of the castle of Crozant by Pierre de Bourbon.

It is starting from the end of XVIe century that Foucauld (sometimes spelled " Foucault" or " Foucaut") will illustrate themselves as governors of the Marche, wire father, until the medium of XVIIIe.

Gaspard Foucauld (born before 1540, died in 1591) is the first of the dynasty. Convert with Protestantism, this faithful of Henri IV owes him his nomination. He finds death at the time of a combat which opposes it to a party of Members of a league cut off in the Abbaye from Moutier-in Ahun.

His/her son, Gabriel II Foucauld (born after 1564, died in 1642), adviser of State, brigadier, abjures Protestantism at the same time as Henri IV. Tallemant of Réaux, in its Historiettes of the reign of Louis XIII , left a cruel portrait of this Gabriel, which it calls " the tyran". The chronicles of the time attest that this reputation was by no means usurped.

It had as successors his son, Henri (born in 1607, died in 1678), private adviser of the king and brigadier, first marquis of Saint-Germain-Bowsprit, then his Armand-Louis son (born about 1645, died in 1719). The younger brother of this last, Gabriel-François (death in 1689) was lord of the manor of the Places (a simple manor, flanked of a vault, which one sees always not far from Crozant); he carried the title of courtesy of count of Crozant.

The last one representing dynasty was Armand-Louis (death in 1752 without male posterity).

The castle

The current castle of Saint-Germain Beaupré (classified among the historic buildings, private property) finds his origins in 1533. It was built with the site of the fortress of the 12th century, itself rebuilt between 1407 and 1409. This castle was restored at the end of the 16th century, to the expenses, says one, of Aumont, which had devastated it twice with the head of a troop of Members of a league.

In 1605, the castle accommodates for one night Henri IV; in 1666, it will be it tower of the Grande Miss, which evokes its short stay in some lines in its Mémoires .

In 1768, castle passes to the hands of the marquis Doublet of Persan (close relative of Foucauld), who, ruined, with the day before Révolution must sell it. Various owners follow one another then and into negligent maintenance. In 1860, the new owner is constrained to carry out an overall restoration and must even entirely make rebuild a ploughed up tower.