Ampsen

Ampsen () is an estate, castle, and hamlet in the municipality of Lochem in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Administratively, it is part of the village of Exel.

==History== In the year 1105, an 'Ulricus de Amsene' is mentioned as a witness in a spurious charter. From this mention one deduces that an Ampsen estate must have already existed at that time. There were two estates called Ampsen: ('Old Ampsen') and ('New Ampsen'). Ouden-Ampsen was a fief of the dukes of Guelders and has been mentioned as such in the fief registers of the Zutphen quarter since 1379. It was already a fortified house around that time because in 1389 its owner promised not to harm the Duke of Gelre and his subordinates from this house. Nieuwen-Ampsen was located next to Ouden-Ampsen and was an allodial estate until it was also made a Guelders fief in 1650. Both Ampsen houses were destroyed during the Spanish period by the Spaniards in 1605.