Jean Siraudin, knight, Lord of Saint-Léger, was one of the four sons of Nicolas Siraudin, royal notary in 1570. His youth was spent fighting as a man-at-arms under Tavannes in the royal army. He notes in a book of accounts the injuries he received "while serving the king’s cause during the League, namely large wounds from sword blows through the body, and elsewhere where he was wounded, a gunshot wound in one of his legs, his Turkish horses under him, and he was taken prisoner..." Jean Siraudin does not tell us in which actions he was wounded, and he also keeps silent about the true act of banditry that several inhabitants of Genoa accused him of having committed against them in 1574. In a complaint addressed to the Bailiwick in 1577, they report that "after staying with some soldiers, they were robbed of their livestock, and even their persons during the civil turmoil, and worse still, in 1574, after the celebrations at Mâcon, the defendant accompanied the soldiers out of the army and ambushed them, leading them to the outskirts of Gibles on a Sunday, when they were going to the divine service. There, with his men, some armed with swords, others with clubs, they entered and robbed them, leading the prisoners to the stronghold of La Motte, situated seven great leagues away, where they were confined by surprise for convenience and security. They were kept in the dungeons, fed only bread and water. In short, they tortured the poor captives so that they were forced to give in to his demands and promise him what he sought, a sum of the first payment. To ensure this, he soon made them pay in advance, forcing them to give a security pledge at the great distance of Saint-Léger."

Claude Demeaux, Lord of Marbé, King's lieutenant in Mâconnais, and purchaser of the land of Saint-Léger by contract on June 1, 1515, was the son of Jacques Demeurc, already a landowner in Saint-Léger in 1601. On June 22, 1641, he took possession of the entire lordship, claiming all rights of justice and two-thirds of the tithes. At his death in 1673, he was known as the lord of Marbé, Saint-Léger, and Painez, lieutenant for the king in the government of Mâcon, captain of the royal hunts and of the tower of the bridge of Mâcon.

He married Anne Bernard, daughter of Philibert Bernard, an elected official in the Election, and Marie Boyer, but having no children, he made his niece, Elienne Demeurc, his heir. On November 17, 1677, and February 5, 1678, his widow took possession and gave the inventory of his lordship of Saint-Léger and his fief of Painez. By her will dated March 22, 1682, she named her nephew, Salomon Chemard, as her universal heir, with the stipulation that he would pay her debts and maintain the parish dances, night and day, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, to be funded by a tax of twenty-five livres on all her land.

Salomon Chemard, Lord of Saint-Léger and Painez, born in Mâcon in 1636, married Antoinette Aujas and became a city counselor in 1685. He was appointed lieutenant general in 1688, prévôt in charge, and royal judge of Mâcon. He died in 1710, having named Antoinette Aujas his heir in his will dated February 20, 1704. On August 5, 1712, she took possession of the fief of Saint-Léger. In her own will of March 12, 1738, she bequeathed Saint-Léger to Abel-Michel Chemard de Laye, her husband's nephew.

Abel-Michel Chemard de Laye, knight, baron of Vinzelles, lord of Loché, Painez, Saint-Léger, Bouverieux, Le Tour de Romanèche, Prusilly, Arcle, and Negus, was lieutenant general of the Bailliwick. He is mainly known for his acquisition of three large estates in the vicinity: La Tour de Romanèche (1717), Vinzelles (1739), and Prusilly (1755). On August 4, 1749, he took possession of the fiefs of Laye, Loché, Painez, Saint-Léger, etc., and died in Mâcon on April 6, 1755. He and his wife, Anne Bortu de Labarmondière, were buried in the church of the Minimes in Mâcon. His will, dated December 5, 1746, and Anne de Labarmondière’s will on December 22, 1755, passed Saint-Léger and his other properties to his eldest son.

Pierre-Anne Chemard de Laye, the universal heir of his father, was baron of Vinzelles, lord of Loché, Painez, Saint-Léger, Le Tour de Romanèche, and Prusilly. He served as a royal lawyer in the Bailliwick, lieutenant general at the same court, counselor at the Parliament of Burgundy, president at the court, and finally counselor of state. He died in July 1790.

From his marriage to Antoinette Normand, daughter of François Normand, counselor at the Parliament of Burgundy, he had a daughter, Antoinette Chemard, who married Ferdinand-Bernard de Moyriat, Marshal of the Camps and Armies of the King, and a son who inherited his estates.

Pierre-Elisabeth Chemard, Lord of Laye, Loché, Vinzelles, and Saint-Léger, through a donation in his marriage contract dated April 22, 1764, with Barbe Quinaxiu, had his buildings and the furniture of the castle inspected in 1771. In 1785, the estate was offered for sale through a notice in the office of M. Lagrange, notary in Mâcon, and was purchased on May 30 by Dame Françoise Bellon, widow of M. Jacques Ratton, secretary of the king and lord of Condemines. During the assembly of all the noble landowners in the Bailliwick to declare the noble's status to the Estates-General, she was represented by noble Antoine Laborier.

Saint-Léger passed to Jacques Ratton, her son, a merchant in Lubonne, who married Miss Anne Declamousse, a Portuguese woman, and left three sons and four daughters.

Lucille Ratton, one of his last children, married on August 13, 1772, to Louis-Claude Aujas, son of Louis-Anne Aujas, a lawyer and mayor of Mâcon. She held Saint-Léger for life. During the Revolution, she was detained as a suspect, and her property was seized, but since the Rattons were presumed to be of Portuguese nationality, the seizure was lifted, and they displayed the Portuguese flag at Saint-Léger. Mrs. Aujas died at the castle in 1824, leaving the estate to her granddaughter, Mrs. Pallard, who, having no descendants, gave the property to her sister.

Mrs. Biondel, the current owner and mother of M. Blondel, who died in 1886 at the Castle of Saint-Léger.

The castle rises in a picturesque location, at the eastern end of a rocky and partly wooded hill, which overlooks the valley of the small Grosne from thirty to forty meters below.

It features a square courtyard surrounded on all sides by buildings, with a large pavilion at each end of the eastern façade. The entrance gate, vaulted with a low-arched arch, is located to the west, part of the mound that is most easily accessible. Always preceded by its old ditch, it still shows in its wall the openings where the drawbridge once raised and lowered, now replaced by a fixed bridge. To the left when entering, towards the northwest corner, stands a round defense tower, built with fine masonry and in perfect condition. Its wall, which measures more than a meter in thickness, is battered at the base and pierced with two gunports; this tower does not appear to be older than the 17th century. In the building that follows, there are stone lattice window openings. It is in this wing that the old spiral staircase is located, followed by a large salon, now formed by the joining of two rooms, the walls of which are covered with old tapestries depicting figures. In a small salon placed a little further is a collection of four to five family portraits, dating from before the Revolution.

The two pavilions of the eastern façade are connected by a long modern gallery, and their first floor is served by a beautiful staircase, also of recent construction. In the southern wing, somewhat allocated for outbuildings, one can see, against a fireplace, the year 1645 inscribed, so it would have been the work of Monsieur Claude Demeaux, who acquired Saint-Léger in 1655.

The wine cellars and buildings for the winemakers are mostly backed against the northern wall of the castle. It is here that the former small parish church stood, now demolished. This church, sold in 1756 to Mr. Ratton, was located between the courtyard and the castle, measuring forty-five feet long by fifteen feet wide. The cemetery that replaced the old "remply de corps morts" in 1702 joined the church on the windward side and was thirty-six feet in length and twelve feet in width.

We have found only one visit of the castle and its outbuildings, along with an inventory of its furniture; we will reproduce it in part. It dates from the year 1783 and was made at the request of Monsieur Sérezia, the tenant of the land, to assess the condition of the premises. Passed down through inheritance for sixty years in the family of the Chesnard de Layé and completely abandoned by them as a residence, we will not be surprised by the state of neglect and deterioration in which everything will somewhat appear.

...In the wine press, the doors that once closed it are missing, as are five window shutters... Fifteen window shutters need to be replaced; as for the glass panes, only six large ones are missing, but a larger number are missing from the leaded windows on the ground floor; all the doors close fairly well; in the attic, twelve window shutters need to be made to preserve the goods.

In the cabinet of the round tower, there are four window frames without glass, in the pavilion above the stables, four shutters need to be made; in the garden pavilion or summer cabinet, the shutters and closures are missing, as well as door and window glass, and it is very dilapidated.

As for the roof coverings and the roofs of the castle and barn, the structure seems sound, but they would need to be covered with open trenches...; the corridor of the castle needs to be entirely re-glazed with new frames... the castle walls are dilapidated, there are two toises to be repaired without delay, the door on the wood side also needs to be redone; the garden is without plants or trees, except for three or four old feet against the walls, which need to be replaced.

The wall of the orchard on the morning side is completely ruined, and the tower at the end, without a roof, serves only as a fence.

In the castle kitchen, there is only an old spit with its ropes, weights, and skewer, with a ruined stove.

In the adjoining salon, there are only cupboards and wooden and painted wardrobes in good condition and locked with three keys.

In the upper salon and the adjoining office, there are six upholstered chairs covered with green cloth, well-worn and faded; these chairs are very old and made of simple, worn wood; plus one wooden chair, two very bad straw chairs, two walnut wood tables, and two andirons, with no other hearth furnishings; the top of the fireplace is wooden, and there is a painting of the Virgin.

In the great hall, there is a walnut wood table, a round pine table, four straw armchairs, two old upholstered chairs, six other chairs half-broken, and a painting above the fireplace depicting Christ.

In the alcove bedroom, without beds, there are three upholstered chairs covered in torn cloth and six other old chairs covered in worn leather, beyond repair.

In the next two rooms, there are no furniture or belongings.

In the round cabinet room, there are only six bad chairs with an old striped pine chest. These are all the items found in the said castle and belonging to the lord of Saint-Léger.

Saint-Léger has left few traces in history. Despite its advantageous location, it is not listed among the castles of the Mâconnais that were captured or occupied during the long period of wars between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians. It is also not mentioned in 1471, during the invasion of the county by the troops of Louis XI, who entered through the Beaujolais border. No mention either during the Religious Wars. But Royalists and League supporters fought over it briefly in 1594. Claude Bernard relates this event in his Annals (p. 314).

On May 1, 1594, Mâcon abandoned the League party; on June 1, the governor and the captain were informed that some troops of the League garrison from Thoissey, the previous night, had crossed the Saône and taken the castle of Saint-Léger with a petard, so they sent forty horses and eighty arquebusiers to besiege them. The peasants had made a large hole in the wall, and the besieged, numbering eighteen, requested to parley, but at that moment several soldiers entered through this hole, who captured the besieged from behind, killing twelve, including Captain Groux who commanded them. Three others were brought in prisoners and released the next day, two others were released immediately, one being a child from the town and the other a young man who begged for mercy.

It is also recorded in the city’s secretarial registers that two écus were given to a Martin Baril, a resident of Mâcon, who was wounded during the recapture of the castle of Saint-Léger, "who had been surprised by thieves to ravage as far as our gates."

During the political looting of July 1789, it seems, according to the following document, that it only escaped thanks to prompt aid that its proximity to the city of Mâcon allowed it to receive.

Mr. Rulsa du Mérac, captain of the bourgeois militia, and Mr. Saulnier, his lieutenant, on hearing of the damage being done in the vicinity of the castle of Saint-Léger by the bandits who were ravaging all the country houses, set out around 10 o'clock, accompanied by twenty fusiliers, two cavalrymen, and about ten inhabitants of Charnay, who joined them along the way. Upon arriving at the square in front of the castle of Saint-Léger and near the cross, they saw a group of individuals sitting in front of the cross, and a larger number fleeing into the nearby woods. Immediately, they pounced on the people who were drinking and captured fifteen or sixteen individuals, all wearing various-shaped cockades on their hats and carrying a sealed bottle of wine. All, except for two, tried to flee. They seemed to have gathered there to cause damage to the castle. Fourteen were captured, including Protat after a long chase through the vineyards. This Protat, a carter from Igé, had already made a name for himself as one of the leaders during the devastation of the castles of Igé, Saint-Mauris, and the priest’s house of Yerze; sentenced to death, he was hanged on a four-post gallows and his body exposed on the road to Charnay.