(Extracts and adaptations of the Historical Notes on Bessin and the Monumental Statistics of Calvados by Arcisse de Caumont)
The old mansion is distinguished by its old house (16th century) and its porch (dated 1632) on the edge of the road to the sea, between the Vaumicel and the church. Shell-shaped sculptures show that it was a step for the pilmers on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Here's what a 1932 advertising document said:
"By taking the direction of Vierville, we see at the entrance of this village, on the side of the road the remarkable entrances to a large manor house, it is the "Lormel manor", owned by Mr. Leterrier since 1922.
Built at the end of the 16th century, when it was wise not to open its door to everything coming, the entrances are surmounted by a tribune openworked by the ends to allow a look at the road. Currently the large door is still open; the curious can take a few steps in the vast courtyard perfectly maintained and surrounded by agricultural buildings leading to a comfortable mansion; this occupies the northern side and still has some windows from the time of Henry IV, the king of "the pot hen".
Among the trees that once surrounded him, there was probably a magnificent Ormel whose name this place received. As early as 1618 one of the Canivet was called the Sieur de Lormel."
On June 6, 1944, the Ormel buildings served as a support point for GIs who were thus able to prevent German reinforcements from approaching Vierville.
L'Ormel in the first cadastre of 1823
(details) L'Ormel in 1995
(details) L'Ormel in 1994
The mansion seen from the south, surrounded by its farmhouse buildings
April 2007
(details) The farm at the time of the Leterrier, with the many plow horses
After the war, before reconstruction
The central skylight with the shell that would indicate that the Ormel was a stage of the pilmers walking towards Compostela
The East skylight
Around 1960
L'Ormel, late 16th century mansion farm
The municipality of Vierville-sur-Mer has several manor farms, typical of Bessin. These stone farmhouses are organized around a square courtyard closed by the buildings of blind farms on the outside and high walls that protect from the eye. (see diagram above)
At the Ormel, 5 buildings and 5 walls to be saved as landscapes
Bois B6 - Ferme de l'Ormel North border - OA98 and 99 - 0.52 ha
Wooded Ensemble n°B6 (classified in POS 1995):
Location: Ferme de l'Ormel, northern border of plots OA 98 and 99, in a semi-agricultural area, semi-urbanized
Size and general condition: 0.52 ha of degraded aforest because part has been cut, but regeneration is possible because young plants (of sycomore maple) are visible; the small aforest has become a medium quality hedge
Variety of species and vegetation strata: The wooded stratum is the majority with many brushwoods (brames). The species represented are: oak, ash, elm, elmer, maples in young plants
Perception of wood in its environment: serves as a windbreak and landscape element on the fairly open agricultural plateau, but also as an integration of the building
Role in water protection: Presence of a pond
Ecological role: low ecological interest due to the non-continuity of the hedge with other hedges
This wooded area deserves a classification because of its landscape role.
Proposal to maintain the ranking
B6 - Ranking maintenance - North Border OA98 and 99 - 0.52 ha
Extract from the Historical Notes on the Bessin (around 1930)
Going from Vierville to Formigny, we notice the imposing entrance of this agricultural gentleman, which has become the property of Mr. and Mrs. Leterrier. With the large door still open, passers-by can see the perfect performance of the vast courtyard and the operating buildings.
The ancient house that occupies the northern side still has some openings from the end of the 16th century.
The closed balcony that can be seen in the large wall where the entrance doors are located also dates back to this time. While criminals roamed the country, the visor on the balcony overlooking the doors allowed the guard to sound the alarm in the event of an attack. At this high wall, which once bore the red, white and gold colors of the Canyvet, we now see the peaceful bouquet of ears of wheat wrapped by the harvesters.
The successive owners of Lormel.
According to the archives of Calvados and the notarial minutes of Trévières, Lormel lived in the same family, from around 1500 to April 21, 1843.
Coming from Bailleul to Canyvet by the marriage of Guillaume 1er Canyvet and Françoise-Catherine de Bailleul in 1553, he was the lot (at the same time as Vierville, probably in ruin at the time) of Marin Canyvet, one of Catherine's seven sons.
In his manuscript, the Sieur du Vaumissel (Jean 1er Canyvet, brother of Marin, who left written documents) notes that "on October 28, 1585, Guillaume Canyvet, son of Marin, Sieur de Lhormel, and Françoise de Miharent, died (he was a very young child) and was buried in Libreville, beyond Coutances".
Françoise de Miharent on Meherenc (her marriage to Marin dates from 1580) was from a family established in Trévières and owning the Londes (now called the Tourailles). From this lady of Lormel descended the Canivet de la Rougefosse and those of Leaupartie who were sieurs de Lormel.
Marin Canyvet died in 1590 "on Monday after Easter blooms" i.e. Holy Monday.
He had as heir Gilles, who married Marie Maillard, lady of Leaupartie, and was the father of René Canivet-Maillard, sieur de Lormel (and also of Vierville, it was probably René and his daughter Marie-Thérèse who rebuilt the Château de Vierville in the 17th century and settled there, abandoning the Ormel that had become too old).
After René, his daughter, Marie-Thérèse and her second husband (marriage in 1685) Guillaume Canivet shared the possession of Lormel with Elisabeth Le Bas, widow of the Sieur de Port and with the sieur de Coursy, grandsons of a Canivet. (Vierville was bequeathed to the heirs of the 1st marriage -1670- of Marie-Thérèse, with Gilles de Marguerye)
But these owners, not living in the ancient mansion, neglected its maintenance. So they were assigned at the request of their farmer, Michel Périou, by feat of October 25, 1712 "to be sentenced to put the houses, doors and barriers of the place of Lormel in due repairs". Guillaume Canivet, the Sieur de Coursy and the heir of Elisabeth de Port, Marc-Antoine de Beaurepaire, Lord of Vendoeuvre, agreed to make the repairs due.
Simply for life, the rights of Sieur de Coursy and Mrs. de Port, on Lormel, ceased with their lives, Guillaume Canivet also died; his eldest son, Isaac-François Canivet, became lord of Lormel, at the same time as Moley and Vaumissel; but although married to Marie-Louise Gosselin d'Anisy, he did not leave a direct heir.
On January 13, 1765, his property was divided between his brother Jean-Louis, lord of Vacqueville, and his nephew, Gilles-Edouard de Marguerie, lord of Vierville, son of Gilles-Armand de Marguerye, who enjoyed it until his death 9 thermidor an XI (1802). During the division of his succession (in 1805), Lormel was the lot of his daughter, Françoise de Marguerye, married to Joseph-Jacques-Henri Morin de Litteau, lord of VaulaviIle (son of the castellan who gave, in 1740, the necessary land for the construction of a free school for boys in Tour).
Françoise de Marguerye lived in Vaulaville with her husband who, after the Revolution, was mayor of Tour and benefactor of this locality. Their succession was shared by their daughters, Marie-Jeanne Morin, lady Achard de Vacognes, who had Vaulaville, and Aglaë-Marie-Thérèse Morin, who married in 1804 Louis-Lubin Couliboeuf, Marquis of Blocqueville, battalion leader, and who had Lormel.
From this marriage were born Xavier Couliboeuf de Blocqueville, who became captain, and Léonie Couliboeuf, who married Jean-Baptiste Wastelier, d'Haillicourt.
Undivided owners of Lormel, the captain and his sister exchanged it on April 21, 1843, for an estate belonging to the countess the Gonidec de Paulan. This transmitted Lormel to his son, Comte Louis-Ernest Le Gonidec, who left three children: Marie-Berthe, Constant and Fernand. The eldest, Marie-Berthe Le Gonidec, who became the owner of Lormel, sold it for 243,000 francs, on July 29, 1892, to Clémence Le Pesant, widow of Count Courtin de Tortay de Malherbe. The latter, dying on September 28, 1916, gave Lormel to his sister, the Countess of Montmirail, who gave him back on September 29, 1917 to Yvonne de Fayet, Baroness Paul Feray.
On June 7, 1921, the division made between the seven children of Baroness Feray attributed Lormel to one of her daughters, Marie-Camille Feray wife of Baron Joseph-Marie de Leusse de Syon, living in the Château de la Bussière, in Sainte-Gauburge (Orne).
Finally, on July 11, 1922, Marie Feray, Baroness of Leusse, sold Lormel, buildings, grasslands, one of which was called Chemin-du-Roy, the others Pré-des-Teurterets and Cabourg, a total of 90 hectares of land to Monsieur Alphonse Leterrier and his wife, Mrs. Charlotte Anger. """
Around 1940, L'Ormel was operated by M. Louis Leterrier. On June 6, 1944, the main house was burned down. Subsequently, it was rebuilt and the large farm sold, first to Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Lamy in 1971.
Since then the buildings have been divided. The main housing body (Northern part) has been the property of M. and Mrs. Georges Manson since 1976, while the southern part of the buildings has become the property of the Pichon family.