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Châtellerault, France
Châtellerault signed a
friendship pact with Hamilton, Scotland in 1993.
Situated between
Poitiers and Tours along the banks of the Vienne River in the Loire
Valley, Châtellerault is known as the "Cite du Bon Acceuil", the
town of warm welcomes.
Châtellerault gets its name from a château built in the 900’s by Viscount Airaud. Old French for chateau was chastel hence Chastel Airaud.
The town has a long history with many claims to fame especially for fans of Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was the Queen of France until she married her toy boy Henry Plantagenet after which she became Queen of England. Châtellerault is where Eleanor’s mother Aenor was born. Aenor was nothing like her scandalous mother who left her marriage, her husband and her castle to be the brazen mistress of William, Count of Poitiers, Duke of Aquitaine. No wonder her nickname was La Dangereuse. Aenor called her daughter Aliénor. which means ‘the other Aenor’. The English don’t do accents so mangled it to Eleanor.
Châtellerault was famous in the 1300s for the manufacture of cutlery and was to become even more famous for making swords.
The duke of Châtellerault was not French, he was a Scot. Because of the ‘auld alliance’ between France and Scotland (both countries hated England) French titles were given to Scots nobles for services to the French Crown.
The title was conferred on James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland during the infancy of Mary, Queen of Scots, for arranging the marriage of Mary to the Dauphin Francois, first son of Francois I.
A seal on a document shows his Coat of Arms with the French ducal coronet and the collar of the French order of Saint-Michel. He used his title on his seals and named his country estate in Scotland, Châtellerault. It’s still there. He was given the Duchy with all its revenues, a title, a guaranteed income and permission to hand it down to his heirs.
However, his French lands and estates were confiscated by Mary Queen of Scots in 1559 when he was accused of treason. He died in 1575. None of his descendants used the Arms of Châtellerault on their seals and the title became extinct until the 12th duke of Hamilton, the third cousin of Emperor Napoleon III through his mother, daughter of Stéphanie de Beauharnais, the adopted daughter of Napoleon I. She married William Hamilton, I1th Duke of Hamilton. Their son William became the 12th Duke of Hamilton. In 1864, she asked the Emperor to restore the title to her son which he did.
The duke of Hamilton has been maintained and confirmed by decree of Apr 20, 1864 in the hereditary title of duc de Châtellerault created by the king of France Henri II in 1548 in favour of James Hamilton, earl of Arran.
The 12th duke of Hamilton died in 1895. He was succeeded by a distant cousin Alfred, who claimed the title Duke of Châtellerault which his successors do to this day.
More than 1000 years old, Châtellerault's rich
history and beautiful gardens make it a popular stop with tourists.
There's lots to see, from the archaeological and the automobile museums
to the Jacques Church, Henri IV bridge and philosopher Rene Descartes'
home. Châtellerault was also the home of the Montgolfier brothers who
flew the first hot air balloon, and the town holds an annual balloon
festival.
Formerly the town was a centre for arms manufacturing
but it now focuses on advanced technology. There are also many further
education establishments and research laboratories in the area as well
as 10 industrial zones within a 230km radius, making it an attractive
location for new enterprise.
It has historic links with Hamilton
dating back to 1548 and gave its name to the Duke of Hamilton's
Chatelherault hunting lodge.
Chatelherault, Scotland
Chatelherault Country Park is a country park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Its name is derived from the French town of Châtellerault, the title Duc de Châtellerault
having been granted to James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran in 1548 for his part in arranging the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to Francis, Dauphin of France.
The country park is centred on the former hunting lodge, a folly designed to be seen from the now-demolished Hamilton Palace at the end of a broad grass slope forming an avenue with lines of lime trees. The lodge was designed by William Adam and completed in 1734. It comprises two buildings, linked by a gateway, in the form of four pavilions above a garden wall. The north facade was visible from the palace and forms the front of the building. To the rear are formal parterre gardens. The buildings provided kennels, stables and accommodation for hunting parties returning from the woodlands to the south.
From 1591, Hamilton Palace became the main residence of the Dukes of Hamilton. Rebuilding as the largest country house in Scotland with an imposing Palladian south front began in 1684, then from 1822 Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton had the palace considerably enlarged as a setting for a major art collection, with the north front designed by David Hamilton. Due to debts, the art collection was sold in 1882, and the family moved out. In 1889 the 12th Duke leased out coal mining under the Low Parks, and further leasing in 1915 extended the mines under the house itself, causing subsidence to the palace which was sold for demolition in 1921.
The ground in front of the lodge was excavated for sand quarrying. The resulting subsidence has created a noticeably lopsided feel in the lodge: coins will roll across the floor, and many visitors report feeling unbalanced and ill. The quarrying was halted in the 1970s, following the death of the 14th Duke. The High and Low parks of Hamilton were given to the nation in lieu of death duties. Historic Scotland began renovating the lodge in the late 1970s, including the fine Georgian plasterwork, and a visitor centre was built to the rear. The lodge and park were opened to the public in 1987 and are now managed by South Lanarkshire Council.
The ruins of Cadzow Castle lie above the gorge of the Avon Water, which runs to the west of the lodge. The bulk of the park lies along the Avon gorge, with woodland walks and cycle routes. A herd of Cadzow cattle live in the fields overlooked by the hunting lodge. This apparently unique breed have white coats and longhorns.
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