The Lords of Ourville Park, the d’Argences Family

“Gules with silver Lily”

This family takes its name from the land of d’Argences, which is the family’s original fiefdom.  Argences is located 11km to the east of Caen, close to the RN13.

The members of this family who owned the fiefdom of Ourville Park, are known to us by the endowments that they made to the abbeys of Lessay and Blanchelande (1).

In 1224, Guillaume d’Argences gives to the Abbey of Lessay 5 quarters of wheat to take to his Olonde mills at Canville, de Grye and Dicq in Portbail.

In 1220, he is cited as the owner of Olonde and of the Park in the register of the fiefdoms of Philip Augustus.

In 1219, He had verified the donation made to the abbey at Blanchelande by Gilbert Malesarz of the fief of Grye à Portbail, Gouey, and at Saint-Maurice and Mesnil.

In 1234, Roger d’Argences, a knight, renounces, in favor of the religious of Lessay, the right to the patronage of the church of Ourville and Richard of Sienne (de Sena), named by the religious at the vicarage of the church can take free possession  (2).  Roger d’Argences could not claim any right to patronage over the church of Ourville, which had belonged to the abbey of Lessay since it was established.

Guillaume d’Argences, son Guillaume Santon, monk of Lessay and resident at the manor of the barony of Avarville in Ourville, has many fief holdings (1243) and 10 quarters of wheat of income from his mill in Hardoin with the fiefs of Raoul Cour and Pierre Abe, of Ourville (1244).

In 1275 and 1279, Pierre d’Argences, brother of Robert, was lord of Ourville Park.

Roger and Colin d’Argences swear loyalty to the king in 1300 for the fief of Ourville Park (3).

In 1376, in the Exchequer of Normandy, a case was opened between Roger d’Argences, priest, lord of the Park of Ourville, and the prior of Portbail on the subject of the right to the kelp and wreckage along the shore of Portbail (4).

It is the last known mention of the presence of the d’Argences family at Ourville Park.

1. A,D. Manche, série H, collection destroyed in 1944, inventory summary printed.
2. A.D.  Manche, H6255.
3. A.D. Manche, A2336, collection destroyed in 1944, inventory summary printed.
4. A.D. Manche, H6503, Book of the Sons of the Priory of Portbail ; collection destroyed in 1944.  Extracts from the book of the sons was published by R. Asselin in the parish bulletin of Portbail.

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