Château Clarke
The origins of Château Clarke can be traced back to at least the 18th century, when the land was acquired by Tobie Clarke de Dromantin (1722 – 1771), who was of Irish origin, and who paid 94,000 livres for the privilege. At the time it had been known as Domaine de Granges, and it was of course during the tenure of this family that the name was changed. Tobie passed away very soon after acquiring the property, and the estate was thus handed down to his son Luc-Tobie Clarke de Dromantin (1761 – 1818). He was a lawyer and judge, and between 1811 and 1814 also acted as a conseiller to the Cour d’Appel in Bordeaux. It was Luc-Tobie who built the château, in 1810, and it was presumably at this point that the family’s name was permanently cemented to the property. Château Clarke was born.
Luc-Tobie had married and he had a son, Jean-Georges Luc Clarke de Dromantin (1801 – 1848) who presumably inherited the estate when his father died in 1818. He immediately sold the property, and it was acquired by the Saint-Guirons family. The man handing over the cash was Antoine de Saint-Guirons (1782 – 1860), who was mayor of Castelnau and already the proprietor of neighbouring Château Lestage. With this acquisition more than a century of family ownership began.
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