Gorey Castle

Mont Orgueil
Gorey Castle
Saint Martin, Jersey
Mount Orgueil from the south
Second World War German look-out posts were designed to fit in with the existing structure of the castle.
Mont Orgueil
Coordinates	49°11′58″N 2°01′10″W / 49.1994°N 2.0194°W / 49.1994; -2.0194
Site information
Owner	People of Jersey
Controlled by	Jersey Heritage Trust
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Intact
Site history
Built	1204–1450
In use	1204–1945
Materials	Granite

Mont Orgueil (Jerriais: 'Mount Pride' or 'Haughty Mount') is a castle in Jersey that overlooks the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and lé Vièr Châté (the Old Castle) by Jèrriais-speakers.

The site had been fortified in the prehistoric period, but the construction of the castle was undertaken following the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204. The castle was first mentioned in 1212.

The castle was the primary defence of Jersey until the development of gunpowder which then rendered the castle ultimately indefensible from Mont Saint Nicholas, the adjacent hill which overlooks the castle. Mont Orgueil was updated with platforms for artillery constructed in 1548 and 1549 under the direction of Henry Cornish, Lieutenant of the Earl of Hertford in Jersey. Cornish complained that earlier repairs to the donjon by Robert Raymont had left it so weak it was vulnerable to musket shot; "lyke a nadyl eye scarse abyll to byde a hagboshe." In 1543 he had asked for a "saker" cannon that would cover the sands between "Grovyll" and the castle, where the French had landed in the past.

Mont Orgueil was to be superseded by Elizabeth Castle off Saint Helier, the construction of which commenced at the end of the 16th century. Walter Raleigh, Governor of Jersey in 1600, rejected a plan to demolish the old castle to recycle the stone for the new fortifications with the words: "'twere pity to cast it down".

The old castle continued to be used as the island's only prison until the construction of a prison in St. Helier at the end of the 17th century. The English Government found it expedient to send troublesome agitators such as William Prynne and John Lilburne to Mont Orgueil far from the realm of England. The regicides Thomas Waite, Henry Smith, James Temple, Hardress Waller, and Gilbert Millington were transferred to Mont Orgueil in 1661.