Bonneville-sur-Touques (Canton of Pont-l'Evêque, Calvados) Castle

   This is a ducal residence documented as being from 1059-1063, and the fortification seems to have been favoured by the Dukes until 1204.
The castle is an oval enclosure positioned half way up the north-east slope of the Touques valley and surrounded by a large deep ditch.
The entrance located at the north-west corresponds to the 13th century layout.
There is no clear evidence of a keep and only the largest tower is referred to before the end of the 12th century. It is believed that constructions earlier than this date were probably in wood and most of the masonry now visible dates from the 13th century. A recent study of the construction stones showed that some parts of the ramparts corresponded to preserved older masonry.

Bibliography

- Boüard, M. de. - Fouille au château de Bonneville-sur-Touques, Annales de Normandie, t. 16, n⁰4, décembre 1966, p. 352-372
- Bureau, J., Chennebenoist, J., Léo, G. - Touques, ses monuments, son passé. Le château de Bonneville-sur-Touques, Trouville, 1968, p.9-24
- Musset, L. - Le château ducal de Bonneville-sur-Touques dans l’histoire de la Normandie, Annuaire des cinq départements de la Normandie, Congrès de Pont-l’Évêque, 1450 congrès, 1987, p.89-92
- Dujardin L., Maneuvrier, Chr. - La pierre à bâtir comme marqueur chronologique. L’exemple de Bonneville-sur-Touques, in L’exploitation ancienne des roches dans le calvados Histoire et archéologie, 1999, p.251-255