About
Our Story
In December 2020, the four of us, Anouk, Nikita, Romane, and James, supported by our parents, friends, and well-wishers, received the keys to La Ferme de Saint-Louet. With a deep sense of purpose, we set out to restore this grand old farm to its former glory.
Anouk is our “farm manager”. An architect, decorative painter, and chocolatier, she thrives on new challenges. In 2010-2011, she trained in organic and biodynamic farming in Belgium. After her training, she launched a short-supply-chain production of aromatic herbs and edible flowers, working in collaboration with renowned chefs. James specialises in water resource management and the critical role of trees in the water cycle. Nikita is an advocate for social diversity and minority inclusion. Romane is currently completing her masters in behavioural ecology, passionate about zoology and wildlife.
Our family's journey has already taken us through many adventures and breathtaking landscapes. It began in Belgium, where Nikita and Romane were born, then led us through Africa and Sweden. Now, we (James and Anouk) are quite literally putting down roots in the Cotentin.
James & Anouk
Romane & Nikita
Restoring a Legacy
As the new guardians of La Ferme de Saint-Louet, we are deeply committed to breathing life back into this place. Honoring those who cared for it before us, we are dedicating our efforts to restoring this magnificent yet long-abandoned farmstead. The history of these walls is carved into stone, reminding us to cherish and preserve this piece of Normandy’s rich heritage.
As caretakers of this land, we also embrace the challenge of revitalising the surrounding bocage landscape. Our goal is to restore soil life and replant trees and hedgerows to cultivate a diverse orchard of fruits such as apples, pears, plums, figs, peaches, and apricots.
At the heart of our project, trees form the backbone of our approach. Alongside planting and nurturing them, we will process the farm’s harvest and develop complementary small-scale farming projects to sustain this place.
More than a farm, Saint-Louet is a place of reconnection, a haven for those who seek to weave bonds between humans and our non-human kin, animals, plants, trees, and beyond.
Saint Louet welcomes those seeking reconnection, whether as a guest or as a volunteer.
Saint-Louet’s History
Saint-Louet Farm is located in the hamlet of Le Mesnil, within the municipalities of Magneville and Colomby, bordered by the Becquet stream, which flows into the Merderet River originating from Valognes. The Merderet, in turn, flows into the Douve River, feeding the marshes of the Cotentin and Bessin. Visitors quickly sense that the farm has stood the test of time. The buildings tell its story. The dwelling is of Renaissance style, but its origins date back much earlier.
The farm is first mentioned in a document signed by Duke Robert the Magnificent, father of William the Conqueror, in the year 1030 under the name "Renaldi mensionalem" (literally "the rural estate of Renald") as a domain granted upon its foundation to the Abbey of La Trinité du Mont, also known as Sainte Catherine, near Rouen. The donor is believed to have been 'Roger, son of Bishop Hugues,' who served as bishop of Coutances between 989 and 1025. The Germanic origin of the name suggests that the farm's roots predate the Scandinavian invasions. It is therefore highly likely that the farm was once a Carolingian-era manor. Indeed, Clovis and his men invaded the Cotentin around 480. Based on traces of terracotta material found in the façade of the dwelling, some historians claim that the farm may even have had a Roman period.
A document from 1286 records an agreement between the monks of La Trinité du Mont, who managed the farm, and Robert Bertran, Baron of Bricquebec, regarding feudal rights over the domain of Ernoldmesnil. You may have noticed that the farm's name has changed over time. Indeed, the name has evolved over the centuries. After "Renaldi mansionalem" and "Einardimansionalem" in the 11th century, and "Ernoldmesnil" in the 13th century, by the mid-16th century, during the Renaissance, our "Mesnil" was called "Renoufmesnil" and was part of the properties of Arthur de Mons, Lord of Saint-Louet-sur-Lozon, Renoufmesnil, and Manneville. With the arrival of the de Mons family, the monks left, and the farm took the name of its noble owner, becoming known as “la Ferme de Saint-Louet”. Arthur de Mons, Lord of Saint-Louet, appears several times in the journal of Gilles de Gouberville under the name "Saint-Louet."
The manor farm, in its current state, still maintains many elements from the Renaissance period of the mid-16th century: a carriage gateway, outbuildings, and façade elements of the dwelling, among many others. It is highly probable that the de Mons family rebuilt the “Ferme de Saint-Louet” during that time. Following Arthur de Mons, his son Louis (+1627), his grandson François (+1667), and then his great-grandson Arthur II were the lords of Renoufmesnil. The farm was later purchased by a certain Robert Le Pigeon, an officer of the Duke of Longueville, who was ennobled in 1652. His son, Thomas-Casimir Le Pigeon (°1679), held the title of squire and "Sieur de Renoufmesnil." In 1696, the property, including "the manor and the non-feudal domain of Regnoufmesnil-Saint-Louet," was leased to Guillaume and Michel du Four. This lease was renewed in 1702 by Alexandre-Robert Le Pigeon. It can be concluded that the Saint-Louet farm, also known as Regnoufmesnil, gave its name to the hamlet of Le Mesnil.
James and Anouk Leten-Francis became the new guardians of the farm when they acquired it from Madame Isabelle Tardif in December 2020. The property entered the Tardif family in the late 19th century through the marriage of Isabelle's grandfather, Louis Tardif, to Elisa Marie Pélagie Desmares.
