Read moreShow less
The motte castrale is located in an area of marshland, close to the Etang de Beffou, into which a stream flows and which adjoins the motte to the east. Situated on a rocky spur, it is ovoid in shape. Its dimensions are considerable: 80 metres long, 50 metres wide and 8 to 10 metres high. It is surrounded by a ditch 5 metres wide and surrounded by an embankment on which a footbridge or drawbridge was built. Remains of the substructures and a well can still be seen on the platform.
This was a motte castle dating from the 11th century, the residence of the first lords of the Beffou castellany.
The lordship of Beffou was linked to that of Belle-Isle-en-Terre and formed a single estate. They were separated in 1586, when the lord of Coatredrez bought the seigneury of Beffou, which owned 32 villages or convenants located in the former parish of Plougras (which then included Loguivy-Plougras and Lohuec) and which had the rights of high, medium and low justice. By this time, the motte had already been abandoned and rented out.
The natural configuration of the site is ideal for defence and, in the absence of archaeological excavations, we can only speculate that it has been a settlement since the Neolithic period or the early Middle Ages.
Initially consisting of a simple earth mound on which a wooden fortified house with an upper courtyard was built, the site was later fortified with a stone keep in the 13th and 14th centuries. A dwelling was built in the lower courtyard, below the motte, where the farmer responsible for collecting the seigneurial revenues lived.
Free access.
Information on site and heritage fact sheet available from the Tourist Office.
This was a motte castle dating from the 11th century, the residence of the first lords of the Beffou castellany.
The lordship of Beffou was linked to that of Belle-Isle-en-Terre and formed a single estate. They were separated in 1586, when the lord of Coatredrez bought the seigneury of Beffou, which owned 32 villages or convenants located in the former parish of Plougras (which then included Loguivy-Plougras and Lohuec) and which had the rights of high, medium and low justice. By this time, the motte had already been abandoned and rented out.
The natural configuration of the site is ideal for defence and, in the absence of archaeological excavations, we can only speculate that it has been a settlement since the Neolithic period or the early Middle Ages.
Initially consisting of a simple earth mound on which a wooden fortified house with an upper courtyard was built, the site was later fortified with a stone keep in the 13th and 14th centuries. A dwelling was built in the lower courtyard, below the motte, where the farmer responsible for collecting the seigneurial revenues lived.
Free access.
Information on site and heritage fact sheet available from the Tourist Office.
The motte castrale is located in an area of marshland, close to the Etang de Beffou, into which a stream flows and which adjoins the motte to the east. Situated on a rocky spur, it is ovoid in shape. Its dimensions are considerable: 80 metres long, 50 metres wide and 8 to 10 metres high. It is surrounded by a ditch 5 metres wide and surrounded by an embankment on which a footbridge or drawbridge was built. Remains of the substructures and a well can still be seen on the platform.
This was a...
This was a...
Openings
Openings
All year 2025
