History & Past Guests

The commanding position of the bluff on which Marouatte stands may explain why the spot was occupied in so many past periods, beginning in the Stone Age. It dominates the valley of the Euche stream and from it a wide area of pasture land and forests in the Dronne Valley can be enjoyed.

before written history
Stone Age Neanderthal and even earlier hunters are known to have roamed the immediate vicinity - their flint knives and scrapers were found during the construction of the playing field adjacent to the outer court and bones from a mammoth were discovered in the Euche Valley beyond.

Bronze Age burials were recently unearthed from under an ancient priory in St. Vivien village at the foot of Marouatte. It is possible that they represent people from a hill-fort on the Marouatte plateau, up to 5000 years before the castle.

roman times
A roman military road passed along the Euche Valley below Marouatte and fragments of Roman roof-tiles were found at Marouatte in the C18th. There are remains of what may have been a Roman camp or relay station in the parkland beyond the main gate. Some authors suggest a Franko-Roman chateau-fort stood on the site of the current Chateau. The name Marouatte seems to be derived from the Frankish Latin “muratum” (wall) and implies the site was fortified.

age of feudalism
By the C12th Richard I was King of England and Duke of Aquitaine which included the Dordogne and, therefore, Marouatte. This chivalrous, if not brutal, time sees the first recorded, surviving documentary record of Marouatte; a feudal barony already based here in 1293, which implies the presence of a stronghold. The rock was hewn to a depth of several metres to support the towers and form the moat and it probably these massive C12th foundations upon which today’s Chateau are based.

By 1303 the feudal fortress was well established and belonged to the Montagrier family, named from the nearby small town, whose oak tree coat of arms can be seen in the mullions of the blocked up window above the cloister courtyard. The personal blazon of Marouatte; the symbol of a cross with four bars ending in fleurs de lys can be found in the walls and fireplaces throughout the chateau.

During this period of constant fighting in the Middle Ages, including the 100 years war, much, if not all, of the records of the age were lost or destroyed.

Renaissance & French Revolution
Antoine Montagrier, the last male Montagier, built the outer enclosure of 1579 and after his death his eldest daughter, Claude, brought the fief of Marouatte into the possession of her husband, Baron Chabot de Jarnac. The name has a famous connection to the “Coup de Jarnac” or “low blow” aimed unexpectedly at the back of an adversary’s knee.

During the French Revolution, Duc de Chabot and Count de Jarnac fled abroad and Marouatte was confiscated by the Republic in 1792 and was gradually despoiled by the local population to build their own homes and public buildings. The dilapidated Chateau changed hands many times in the late C18th and early C19th. In 1843 M. Boc de St. Hilaire purchased the Marouatte domain, consisting at that time only of the Chateau and 30 acres. He worked hard to restore the Chateau until his death in 1861.

A Commissioner for Historic Monuments described Marouatte in 1885 as “the most picturesque ruin” in Perigord.

modern times
In 1900 a shipping magnate from Bordeaux called M. Roanney bought the property. He carried out major restorations including the rebuilding of two towers. M. Roanney's grandson, who lives in Riberac, recalls his childhood, a time when the outer court housed a thriving farm and winery. Pigs, dogs, horses and chickens were kept in the stables and outbuildings. The vines grown on the farmland produced good white wine and a champagne, but the red wine was not a success. The winery, with its vast oaken vats, grape press and the 'cave' still survive forming a kind of wine museum; its ambience contrasting strongly with the metal tubes and steel barrels in modern wineries.

20 years ago the chateau was purchased by an English family, Sir Maxwell and Lady Joseph. He was known to have a number of distinguished guests including Sir Edward Heath, one time Prime Minister of England. He arrived with his piano and his butler; the piano had to be taken up the spiral staircase to his bedroom. The Queen Mother (mother of Queen Elizabeth II) also came - her instructions were that she needed two identical bedrooms for her and her Lady-in-Waiting.This prompted Sir Maxwell to divide the large space above the Salle d'Honneur in half creating two identical bedrooms, now known as the Queen Mother suite.

Now, 140 years after the visit of Baron Verneilh, the Chateau looks very different. There is a large cedar tree where a 1844 photograph shows an empty space, the well-head has been moved and made into a goldfish pond, the 40m deep well has been sealed and the traces of the moat walls planted as flowerbeds. All modern amenities have been added and bathrooms and central heating installed. It has been further refurbished and discreetly modernised by the new owner, Miles Copeland III.

Used as an inspiration for music creation & production, recent guests include Cher, Marillion, Rick Astley, Carole King, Stewart Copeland, Jules Holland, Jeff Beck & Zucchero.