The History of Château du Fresne
The château, which gives its name to the ROBIN-BRETAULT wine estate, likely dates back to just before 1436, and it was later altered in the 18th century.
From the 16th century, traces remain of letters of nobility, which granted the estate to Jehan Lebrun. At this time, the site was called “Le Pin du Fresne,” and the new lord fortified it with a moat and drawbridge. The owner came from the parish of Chanzeaux and had few rights: the right to gather deadwood from the Marchais Forest* for heating the house and the right to pasture four pigs.
The coat of arms of Lord Lebrun was described as “gules, a chevron argent, accompanied by three merlettes sable, two in chief and one in base.”
Life was peaceful between the 15th and 17th centuries: the property passed down through the family by inheritance. The march of history resurfaced in 1603, the year when the property, likely with its two farms of La Noue and Forgette, was purchased by Monsieur François Le Bascle. Initially destined by his family, as was customary at the time, for an ecclesiastical and military life within the Order of Malta, he had to renounce celibacy to continue the Le Bascle name and serve the King of France under the command of Baron de Thouarcé and then in the regiment of his relative, the lord of Plessis de Juigné.
François Le Bascle’s life was marked by sorrow: having married three times following widowhood, he would not see his children outlive him due to the high infant mortality rate, and eventually faced financial difficulties that forced him to sell Le Fresne in 1647. The coat of arms of the Le Bascle family of Le Pin du Fresne was described as “gules, a chevron or, accompanied by three roundels, two in chief and one in base.” In 1647, the Marquis de Gilbourg**, a wealthy neighboring lord, acquired Le Fresne, only to resell it in 1653 to the lord of Plessis, who passed away there in 1675. The next owner, a secretary of the Parliament of Brittany and notary, stayed at the château from 1687 to 1698.
The following owner, Pinot du Petit-Bois, undertook modernizations to the property, traces of which remain in the château today.
In 1803, the manor was sold to two inhabitants of the commune of Faye. The 19th century still bears the marks of the disappearance of the chapel, whose origins, location, and architecture remain unknown.
In 1927, Alfred ROBIN, the grandfather of the current ROBIN-BRETAULT family, purchased Château du Fresne. This manor still retains a great deal of charm with its turret, where a wooden oak spiral staircase winds up.
The façade also retains the embrasure of the pedestrian drawbridge system. Of the moat, only the pond behind the château remains. This is what we can now share of its history.
* The Marchais Forest extends to the outskirts of the commune of Faye and is a great place for walking, included in the village’s footpaths.
** Gilbourg is a château on the banks of the Layon, on the road to Champ, next to which one can still see a system of locks dating from the time of the Layon canalization. While the château is not open to visitors because its owners keep it as a private residence, its history is so significant that it has been lowered by a few meters. Near Gilbourg, by the old railway line, you can find pleasant picnic spots.