Château de Dampierre was built in the 16th century to the site of medieval castle. In the 14th century, Hébert Thésard, a descendant of Raoul Theu-Zart, Rollon's companion, married Perette de Dampierre, the last heir of the eponymous fief. Their great-granddaughter, Marie, married Jean II de Longaunay, the lord of Damigny near Bayeux, for the second time, at the beginning of the 16th century. Their son, Hervé IV de Longaunay, settled in Dampierre and was one of the close associates of Marshal de Matignon. During the Wars of Religion, after renouncing Protestantism, Hervé joined the Catholic party. However, remaining loyal to the crown, he sided with Henry IV upon his accession to the throne. Hervé, while he was the king's lieutenant general, died in 1590 at the Battle of Ivry. Hervé rebuilt the castle, probably replacing a medieval construction, with the moats and tower bases preserved.
His son, Jean de Longaunay, military intendant of Saint-Lô, joined the League. In the second half of the 17th century, the fief was elevated to a marquisate.
During the Revolution, the main residence was destroyed, as were the outbuildings located to the south and north of the courtyard.
In the 19th century, the castle was owned by the Marquis de Briges, an old family from Lozère, who owned numerous properties in Lower Normandy. In 1891, upon the death of the last heiress, Marie-Barbe de Briges-Longaunay, the estate passed to her nephew, François Doynel de Sausserie, who from 1924 to 1927 dismembered it.
The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.