Village reveals its historic link with French castle
A COUNTY village has revealed an unexpected historical link with a French castle it is twinning with.
Mountsorrel village almost shares a name with the Château de Montsoreau, in the town of Montsoreau on the banks of the Loire in western France.
But that’s not the only thing they share.
Their historical links have led to a unique initiative between the French castle, which is home to a contemporary art museum, and the village near Loughborough.
Mountsorrel’s Parish Council jointly announced with the Château de Montsoreau that they would be “twinning” after the French Museum of Contemporary Art approached the council last year.
This twinning initiative means the French castle and museum, and Mountsorrel Village will continue to promote their cultural ties.
The Leicestershire village was once home to a castle which was destroyed on the orders of Henry II in 1217.
The Mountsorrel Castle and the Château de Montsoreau played significant roles in the wars between Norman count Stephen of Blois – who was King of England between 1135 and 1157 – and Henry II, his successor. I It i is b believed li d to have h b been modelled on the Château de Montsoreau.
In the book Memorials of Old Leicestershire (1911) by Alice Dryden, who was a local author and historian, the two places are compared.
Dryden wrote that “the similarity in the names and position of the two castles, Montsoreau and Mountsorrel, re and the part they played in the w wars of Stephen and Henry, obviously ou suggests a close connection be between the two”.
Today, the motte where Mountsorrel so castle once stood is topped by a war memorial.
In her book, Dryden wrote that it was “difficult to resist the conclusion that the English castle was built by Stephen’s enemies in the imitation of the French one and named after it”.
Marie-Caroline Chaudruc, the vice president of Château de Montsoreau, said: “It is often forgotten that the histories of England and France, and indeed the histories of Britain and France, have often been closely connected.
“In the medieval period of the Angevin Empire, the histories of England and France were the same, as they both had a king and aristocracy.”
Philippe Méaille, founder of the Château of Montsoreau Museum of Contemporary Art, said: “It is a rare opportunity that we have here at the Château of Montsoreau to show and to strengthen the enduring links between England and France, Brexit notwithstanding.
“These links are both cultural and historical.”
In the medieval period of the Angevin Empire, the histories of England and France were the same, as they both had a king and aristocracy