Guercheville
Guercheville is a small commune in the Seine-et-Marne department, Île-de-France region, within the French Gâtinais Regional Natural Park. Located about 36 km from Melun and 21 km from Fontainebleau, it is part of the La Chapelle-la-Reine area.
Guercheville’s history dates back to prehistoric times. In ancient times, it featured a large standing stone called “La Pierre Frite” near Aufferville, which was destroyed in the early 20th century. During the Middle Ages, Guercheville and its hamlet, Le Buisson, had separate lordships. The earliest known lords belonged to the Nemours family, with records from 1190 mentioning Philip I of Nemours donating grain and wine to the Barbeau Abbey.
In 1589, the Guercheville estate passed to Antoinette de Pons, a renowned figure for her beauty and virtue. King Henry IV raised Guercheville to a marquisate in 1594, and Antoinette adopted the title of Marquise de Guercheville, which she made famous. Upon her death in 1632, her son Roger inherited the marquisate, selling it in 1657 to the Bourbon family, who owned it until 1732.
By the French Revolution, the marquisate was held by Armand-Jacques-François Guyon, who renounced his title and became the mayor of Guercheville. The hamlet of Le Buisson also changed hands multiple times, passing through various prominent families over the centuries.