Poil, Nièvre - Château de Thil, Manor house in Poil, Nièvre, France

Château de Thil is a manor house in Poil, 2.5 km south of the village, built on an L-shaped plan with one storey and a long tiled roof. A tower incorporated into the building retains arrow slits, vaulted rooms and wattle-and-daub walls, probably from the 13th century. The adjoining terraced courtyard is held up by a very high wall, and a farm building below rests on large cellars.

The site's history is uncertain: a seigneurie is first mentioned in the 13th century and a seigneurial dwelling in 1400, though loopholes, vaulted rooms and wattle-and-daub walls in one tower resemble 12th- or 13th-century work. The name Thy appears in 1693, then Thil-le-Château; Thil held high, middle and low justice. A chapel on the site had the privilege of the second Christmas mass. Only a manor remodelled in the 19th century survives.

The name Thil is recorded as Thy in 1693, later Thil-le-Château. The site held a seigneurie with high, middle and low justice. A chapel once stood here where, by privilege, the second Mass of Christmas Day was celebrated, as recorded by Jacques-François Baudiau.

The castle is currently not open to visitors, so check ahead before planning a trip to the site. It is worth reaching out to local tourism offices to learn about future access or viewing opportunities.

The site lies along the protohistoric route known as the "foires du Beuvray", overlooking the pass between mont Dône and the bois de Manizot, on the old road from Bourgogne to Nivernais. The Cassini map shows Thil with a hamlet and a château beside the paved royal road from Bourbon-Lancy to Autun.