St. Clair sur-Epte, France

[SusanG1400@aol.com]

Dear Mr. John Sinclair Quarterman,

       Recently I sent you a message stating that I read about the castle in 
St. Clair-sur-Epte, France in the book "A Genealogical History of the St. 
Clair Family" by L.A. de St. Clair, written in 1905.  You asked me what 
source he used to back up his statement that the structure is a "castle."  
The statement the author makes about the castle is in Part One  1.  The 
Origin of the Name St Clair.  I have this part of the book translated into 
English.  The translation was done by Mr. Tim Wallace-Murphy in 1998.  If you 
ask him, he may have the whole book and I am sure he would be glad to tell 
you the source for the author's statement about the castle.
       The reason I believe that the structure is a castle is that I have a 
very informative and well-written brochure "Tour Guide St. Clair sur Epte in 
Normandy" written by you and my very good friend H. S. Cummings, Jr. (who, 
sadly is deceased) in 1996.   This brochure states that the structure is a 
castle.  When my husband and I went to St. Clair-sur-Epte in June 2002 I took 
two copies of this brochure with me, one of which I gave to the mayor of St. 
Clair-sur-Epte.
       I have a French painting of the early medieval walls, some even 
Visigothic, around the southern walled city of Carcasonne, France.  The label 
of the painting calls these fortified walls "a chateau."
       Anyone who has toured the great chateaux of the Loire Valley knows the 
term encompassed both castles such as that at Châlus besieged by King Richard 
the Lionhearted (He died there.) and ornamented royal palaces such as 
Azay-le-Rideau.

Sincerely,

Susan M. Grady