A History of the Bailliage d’Arques
The name of the Bailliage d’Arques translates in English as the term “bailiwick” which, like this building, dates back to the Middle Ages. It referred physically both to an administrative position of territorial power as well as the seat from which this power was exercised. The ruler of the area, whether a duke or sovereign, would appoint a delegate (a bailli in France, or bailiff in England) who would hold and exercise local administrative (fiscal and judicial) and military powers in the ruler’s name. These figures were key to the exercise of royal authority throughout the realm. The office was not necessarily held by a noble, and these baillis enjoyed a considerable amount of independence locally, however their position necessarily embroiled them in power struggles between local nobles and church authorities. The French baillis also oversaw the provosts, and the bailliage/bailiwick was the hub for payment of land taxes and revenue collection, as well as being the seat of the appellate judge to boot, and the bailli could also conceivably preside over troops if the situation called for it.
Consequently, the history of the Bailliage d’Arques is also of necessity a history of its sphere of geographic influence and its close involvement with the royal families of France. Then there is also the fascinating history of the building itself, from its origins through its tumultuous path through history, traces of which can still be seen into the 21st century.
The Bailliage Royal d’Arques was one of the four seats of the Great Bailiwick of Caux, and initially under the jurisdiction of the Duchy of Normandy, which was a feudal state from 911 to 1469. The Great Bailiwick of Caux dates back to Richard I, Duke of Normandy, who created it around 942. This territorial and administrative organisation underwent reform under King Philip Augustus of France, after he took possession of Chateau Gaillard and the Duchy of Normandy in 1204. In order to consolidate his administrative authority in the area, he divided the duchy into seven administrative regions: Rouen, Évreux, Gisors, Caen, the Cotentin, Alençon and the Pays de Caux, which was ruled from the Bailliage d’Arques. The seat of the bailiwick of the Pays de Caux was established in Arques in 1204 and this place remained the seat of administrative power in the region until 1566. Some of the walls of the original edifice still remain along the Place Pierre Desceliers.
The Bailliage is made up of a set of attached buildings, which include the Bailiff’s Residence, the area that was used as the Tribunal, including the reception hall, which in the Middle Ages was called La Cohue (“the Pandemonium”), and the Maréchalerie, where soldiers and horses were quartered. The jurisdiction of this bailiwick corresponded more or less with the current boundaries of the Pays de Caux. The tribunal (Le Présidial) was transferred to Caudebec in 1566. The current layout of the Bailliage d’Arques is a direct result of the fierce conflict between Louis XI and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy for hegemony over France. In July 1472, when Charles attempted to take the city of Beauvais, he was thwarted by local heroine Jeanne Laisné (better known as Jeanne Hachette, because of her legendary skill with a hatchet); it was his first major defeat. The enraged Charles then decided to make his way to Normandy, cutting a swathe of destruction, pillaging the crops and burning villages. He then targeted the Château d’Arques, and, when its ramparts proved impregnable, he vented his wrath upon the surrounding area. His troops set fire to, and partially destroyed both the local church and the Bailliage d’Arques.
Louis XI consequently decided to rebuild it, and commissioned one of his architects, Roger Goujon, to restore it based upon his favourite residence, the Château de Plessis-Lèz-Tours. That castle was also where Louis XI passed away (30 August, 1483). It remained the seat of power for the French kings during the reigns of both Charles VIII and Louis XII. The Château and the Bailliage both prominently feature the work of Flemish stonemasons, whose work was the height of fashion for noble buildings of the period. The reconstruction of the Bailliage d’Arques was completed in 1483, but earlier vestiges of the original 13th-century building still remain.
The history of the Bailliage d’Arques continued to parallel that of the French royal family. René de Cossé, who was appointed Grand Panetier and Grand Fauconnier at the court of Louis XII, served as the Bailiff (Bailli) of the Pays de Caux, from 1505 to 1540. René took on the name of Cossé-Brissac after his acquisition, in 1502, of the Château de Brissac (which he acquired from Louis de Brézé, the Grand Sénéchal of Normandy and husband of Diane de Poitiers). He is said to have played host to King François I on his progress through Picardy and Normandy after the coronation of Queen Claude at Saint Denis. René grew even closer to the royal family when he married Charlotte Gouffier de Boisy, descended from the famed Montmorency family, who also served as governess to the royal children. In 1525, after France’s defeat at the Battle of Pavia, where François I was captured and held prisoner from February 1525 to March 1526., the French king was forced to offer up his sons, the then Dauphin François and his brother Henri, as hostages in exchange for his release since he was unable to pay his ransom. They remained at the Spanish court as hostages for almost four years and René de Cossé-Brissac and his wife Charlotte remained there with them as guardians for the princes. When François I died, Henri succeeded him as Henri II.
René’s son Arthur in turn inherited the title of Grand Bailli de Caux from his father. François I often journeyed to the area to oversee the construction of the fortifications of the Château d’Arques, and he stayed at the Bailliage on several occasions from 1544 to 1545. In October 1550, Arthur de Cossé-Brissac also received Henri II and Catherine de Medici at the Bailliage d’Arques. Henri IV visited the Bailliage d’Arques so many times, it came to be known as the “Bailliage of Henri IV”. On September 29, 1589, the king won a decisive victory at Arques against the Catholic League forces led by the Duc de Mayenne.
Over the course of the 18th century, Arques progressively ceded its administrative authority to the city of Dieppe which was undergoing a period of expansion, and the official bailiwick was eventually relocated to Dieppe. The building was deserted during the French Revolution of 1789. Subsequently, it has been used for many purposes: a hotel, a grocer’s shop, all of which probably ensured its survival to the present day.
In 1915, Lord Glasgow, the assistant to the Duke of Westminster, took possession of the building. By then it was in a dilapidated state. He proceeded to restore it completely, including the addition of dog carvings along the roof, and expanded the living quarters of the building, installing a new staircase, demolishing bâtiments parasites, and landscaping the surrounding grounds.
The Bailliage d’Arques was purchased by the De Foville family in 1920, and they remained in possession of it until 1977. The grounds were refurbished with a variety of trees from Canada, including giant thujas, since Monsieur de Foville had served as the French Ambassador to Montreal. His wife managed to get the building listed on the Liste Merimée des Monuments Historiques on April 14, 1930. To this day, it is the only remaining bailiwick in Normandy that still remains intact.