The motte at Lucé is over nine hundred years old and can be found in the Orné region of Normandy. The place was possibly named after Lucius; an individual who held the area during the Roman occupation. The surrounding 15-18 feet wide ditch has almost disappeared. In the late 17th century the motte was measured as 180 feet diameter at its base and 90 feet at the top, with a height of 45 feet. Today it is only approx. 24 feet high. The original stronghouse was probably built in timber. It is understood that the ownership of Lucé was forfeit at an early date, for reasons unknown. Return to historical information on the de Lucé family