Could you imagine Queen Blanche de Castille standing right where you are? She may have stood here to deliver the serfs of Châtenay. These serfs and their families were imprisoned. They were jailed by the canons for not paying their taxes. This is the Donjon de la Boursillière.
The Donjon de la Boursillière stands on the border of Châtenay-Malabry. It is also on the border of Plessis-Robinson. The Donjon de la Boursillière is north of the Verrières forest. The A86 highway is very close.
Today, only a few remnants of the ancient Donjon de la Boursillière remain. These vestiges are within a fenced-off forest area.
The history of the Donjon de la Boursillière is not very clear. It may have been built in the 10th or 11th century. The Notre-Dame chapter could have ordered the construction. It may have served as a hunting lodge. It could have also been a surveillance point. Other similar keeps existed. One was above Buc. Another was on the road to Fontainebleau.
The Donjon de la Boursillière might have been a prison in the 13th century. It was likely destroyed in the 14th century. Perhaps the English destroyed it.
A legend tells of Queen Blanche de Castille. She came to free the serfs of Châtenay. The canons imprisoned them for not paying taxes. The Queen struck the donjon door with her royal staff. At this sign, her soldiers broke down the door. They freed the surviving serfs. Some serfs had already suffocated. Outraged by the canons’ protests, the Queen seized their income. She then destroyed the Donjon de la Boursillière.
However, other accounts say the serfs were imprisoned in Paris. Regardless, the serfs were freed. The chapter received 1,400 pounds some years later.
The Donjon de la Boursillière appeared on a hunting map. It showed a rectangular tower base. Ditches and embankments surrounded it. The structure was rectangular and made of rubble.
Construction of the Donjon de la Boursillière was similar. It was like the Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois church in Châtenay.
Archaeological finds mark the Boursidière area. Neolithic remains were found at Cent Arpents. Gallo-Roman pottery workshop remnants are on the site. Later, the Lafontaine brickyard operated here. It used the plateau’s clay soil.
The Donjon de la Boursillière was likely destroyed in the 14th century. The seigneury lasted until the end of the Ancien Régime. Even now, a Boursidière road exists in the Verrières forest. Also, there is a Bourcillière street in Petit Clamart. So, as you leave here today remember the story of Queen Blanche.