The site has a long history, starting as a priory and becoming a private manor. In 1032, Alain III, the son of Geoffroy 1st, decided to create his own priory under the governance of the Abbey of St Georges of Rennes. He launched the construction of a female priory in the northern part of the island in the area of Kernoel. The owners of Kernoel from the 11th to the 14th centuries are unknown, but it seems that the abbey of Saint Georges de Rennes sold one of the main building along with some land to a nearby lord. The first document found about an owner of the manor was Antoine Le Hen dating from July 1437. The family kept possession of the site with their descendants, Pierre Le Hen, Hervé Le Hen, Jean Le Hen, Pierre Le Hen who then named his own son Pierre Le Hen. Due to debts, the younger Pierre Le Hen is required to sell Kernoel. In 1628, the family Le Cloerec takes possession of Kernoel, but then also sells it in 1665 to the family Choumin/Touzé du Guernic who will keep possession of it until 1800. Jean-Vincent Touzé du Guernic is the last of this family to own Kernoel. He was born on 7 September 1732 and spent all his childhood on the island. He leaves it to pursue his studies at Vannes, but returns at age 52. After the French revolution he was elected as the first Republican mayor in 1790. By 1795, directly or indirectly, he acquired and consolidated all Kernoel buildings and land from the church. During the post revolutionary terror years, Jean-Vincent struggled to protect the Ile d'Arz from numerous attacks from the Chouans who were sailing from mainland. Writing letters to his fellow Republicans on the continent, he kept requesting help to defend himself and the islanders who did not have their own army. The Chouans mercilessly attacked the island year after year, and eventually kidnapped the mayor in 1800. A few days later, to the grief of much of the island, his corpse was found, mutilated, deformed and almost unrecognizable.