Plate XLVIII. — Chapel in the Castle at Caen
The Castle at Caen was built by William the Conqueror, whose son, Henry I. though commonly reputed its founder, in reality confined himself to raising the walls and adding the keep, which latter was levelled with the ground, by virtue of a decree of the National Convention, dated 6th August, 1793. By the same decree, it was still farther enacted, that the castle itself should be demolished; but the wisdom of the representatives of the sovereign people failed in this, as in many other instances, by not duly appreciating the difficulties attendant upon the execution of their edict: these proved to be so great, that the workmen were compelled to desist, when comparatively but little progress had been made in the work of destruction.
It is expressly stated in the Norman Chronicle, that a castle, though of smaller size, previously existed upon the same spot. In opposition, however, to this assertion, we are told by Robert Wace, that at the time when Henry I. of France, in his expedition against the Conqueror, in 1054, advanced with his army as far as the banks of the Seville, he traversed the town of Caen without resistance: “it being sans chastel, and the Duke not having yet surrounded it with walls.” But may not this apparent contradiction be reconciled, by admitting that the words of the historian are only to be taken in a comparative sense? It is possible, that Wace intended to convey no farther meaning than that the town was not then fortified, as in his time; and such a supposition would cause every difficulty to vanish.
The Castle, as early as the eleventh century, was placed under the superintendance of a constable; and the office was, in 1106, made hereditary in the family of Robert Fitz-Hamon, Lord of Creuly, by whom, and his heirs, it continued to be held till the closing year of the same century. Under the reign of the last of the Norman Dukes, the keep had a governor of its own, distinct from that of the castle; and he was dignified with the title of Constable of the Tower of Caen; but, upon the reduction of the province by Philip-Augustus, Caen itself, together with the castle and its dungeon, was all committed to the charge of a single officer, denominated the Captain. Such also appears to have continued the case, except during the reign of Louis XI. when one Raymond d’Argeau is recorded to have been the Garde particulier du Donjon. The timid policy of a suspicious prince might naturally suggest the idea of greater safety, in not allowing the power over so important a fortress to be vested in any single hand.
The Castle at Caen was the place on which the different lordships, attached to the dignity of Viscount of Caen, directly or indirectly, depended. Almost all of them were held upon the condition of some annual contribution, consisting either of arrows, or quivers, or bows, or swords, or cuirasses, or other description of ancient armor. In time of war, the vassals of these different lords were likewise bound to mount guard at the castle; but most of the parishes purchased an exemption from this service, by means of a pecuniary payment. Thus it is upon record that, in the year 1383, the parish of Méry compounded for fifty-six livres annually, and that of Cléville for thirty-two livres ten sols. By the tenure of others among the dependencies of the bailiwick, it was stipulated, according to M. de Bourgueville, that they should supply the castle with provisions, in the event of war.
The sums arising from these various contributions, were employed for the pay and maintenance of the garrison: in 1369, the salary of the governor of Caen was fixed at one thousand livres annually; half of it arising from the revenues of the Viscounty of Caen, the other moiety from those of the Viscounty of Bayeux. The garrison, during the fourteenth century, was limited in time of peace to six esquires and ten crossbow-men. Even during the short period of English power, the governor was allowed for the defence of the place only thirty heavy-armed soldiers and ninety archers, half of their number being mounted. Upon the capture of Caen by Charles VII. in 1450, that monarch left in the castle a garrison amounting to nearly three hundred soldiers; and this number was not reduced below one hundred and forty, upon the conclusion of the peace.
The above particulars, translated almost verbatim from the Abbé De la Rue’s recent publication upon Caen,85 do not place the castle, as a fortress, in the important light which might reasonably have been expected, considering its reputed strength and its great extent. Monstrelet,86 speaking of it in his own time, says, “it is the strongest in all Normandy, fortified with high and great bulwarks of a very hard stone, situated upon a rock, and containing in extent as much as the whole town of Corbeil.” De Bourgueville87 enters, as might be expected, more at large into the subject. His description is full and interesting.88
A short time previously to the revolution, when Caen was visited by Ducarel,89 the greater part of the castle was much out of order, having been altogether neglected; but the dungeon had then lately undergone a thorough repair, and was used as a place of confinement for state prisoners, and for such others, as by lettres de cachet, obtained at the joint request of their family, were deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent their incurring the disgrace, after having been exposed to the misfortune, of poverty.
On the subject of its present condition, we learn from Mr. Turner,90 that, “degraded as it is in its character by modern innovation, it is more deserving of notice as an historical, than as an architectural, relic; but that it still claims to be reckoned as a place of defence, though it retains but few of its original features. The spacious, lofty circular towers, which flanked its ramparts, known by the names of the black, the white, the red, and the grey horse, have been brought down to the level of the platform. The dungeon-tower is destroyed; and all the grandeur of the Norman castle is lost, though the width of its ditches, and the thickness of its walls, still testify its ancient strength.”—The same author proceeds to state, that “there are reasons for supposing that Caen, when first founded, only occupied the site of the present castle; and that, when it became advisable to convert the old town into a fortress, the inhabitants migrated into the valley below.”—He adds, upon the authority of De Bourgueville, that “six thousand infantry could be drawn up in battle array, within the outer ballium; and that so great was the number of houses and of inhabitants, inclosed within the area, that it was thought expedient to build in it a parochial church, dedicated to St. George, besides two chapels.”
One of these chapels has been supposed to be the subject of the present plate; but the high authority of the Abbé De la Rue91 seems to render such a supposition at least doubtful. Indeed, the reverend author enumerates no fewer than six chapels within the precincts of the castle, without, however, entering upon a description of the remains of any one of them. At the same time, he particularly notices the religious building here figured, evidently regarding it as having served formerly for a parochial church. At present, it is desecrated, and is devoted to the office of a military storehouse. M. De la Rue regards it as being not only the oldest architectural relic in Caen, but as an erection of the tenth century. He founds this opinion upon its construction, destitute of any tower; upon the circular arches of its door and windows; upon its zig-zag mouldings; upon the monsters of its corbel-table; and, above all, upon the peculiarity of its position; the choir being turned to the west, and the front to the east. It was, according to him, in the eleventh century, that the practice, now uniformly adopted, of placing churches in an opposite direction, was first introduced. The irregularity of the early Norman religious edifices, in this latter respect, has already been noticed under a preceding article.92
Footnotes
85 Essais Historiques, II. p. 272.
86 Chronicles, (Johnes’ Translation) III. p. 472.
87 Recherches et Antiquitez de la Ville de Caen, p. 19.
88 Indeed, so detailed and curious is this account, that, though rather long, it appears desirable here to insert it.—“Reste à present à descrire la situation de ce superbe chasteau, lequel est apparent et haut eslevé comme une couronne et propugnacle à ceste grande ville, il a esté de tout tems l’un des premiers de ce royaume en beauté, grandeur, et forteresse pour estre assis sur un roc naturel, venteux, non sujet à la mine, ny escalade, accompaigné de son donjon, au mitan duquel est eslevee une tour carree d’une admirable grosseur et hauteur, circuye de fortes murailles, et aux coings quatre grosses et hautes tours rondes à plate forme à plusieurs estages, que l’on a nommees, l’une le cheval blanc, l’autre le cheval noir, la tierce le cheval rouge, et la quatre le cheval grix, lesquelles seruent par aucunes fois pour enfermer les plus insignes voleurs, les fossez de ce donion sont à fonds de cuue comme ceux de ce chasteau d’une epouuantable profondeur, tellement qu’ils ne sont suiets à l’escalade, le belle ou basse court de ce chasteau est de si ample estendue qu’on y peut mettre en ordre de bataille pour combatre cinq ou six mil hommes de pied, et y peut on loger nombre de caualerie pour faire des saillies sur un camp adversaire, les croniques contiennent qu’il y a plusieurs villes en France moindres que ce chasteau, comme Corbeil et Mont Ferant, i’y aiousterai Quarantan en basse Normandie, il y a si bon nombre de maisons et habitans, qu’il contient une eglise parrochiale en son circuit fondee de saint George, et deux chapeles, l’une de saint Gabriel, et l’autre de saint Agnen, son contour contient un bon nombre de carneaux de visieres et de tours, et l’enclos du donion contient aussi nombre de carneaux, et quatre grosses tours sans celle du parmy, il y a encores au de là du donjon une grande terrasse, qu’on appele la Roqueste d’une admirable forteresse de rampars, puis une grande place que l’on appele la garenne à connins, où l’on peut mettre en seureté un bon nombre de bestaux pour la fourniture de viures de ce chasteau durant un siege. Et à la verité les grands seigneurs et chefs de guerre qui ont veu cette place, la remarquent, et tiennent comme inexpugnables, d’autant même qu’elle est fortifiee de rampars de trente ou quarante pieds de largeur, et ne se peut vaincre sans trahison, faute de cœur ou de viures, aussi noz Rois y ont tousiours pourueus de vaillans seigneurs et capitaines.”
89 Anglo-Norman Antiquities, p. 49.
90 Tour in Normandy, II. p. 170.
91 Essais Historiques sur la Ville de Caen, I. p. 83.
92 See the Description of the Abbey Church of the Holy Trinity, at Caen, p. 30.