In the 18th century, the wealthy Marquis de Livry built a rural second home in Bénouville on the place of the ruins of a mediaeval lordship. The Chateau de Bénouville, a beautiful example of French neoclassic style, was designed by the renowned architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux.

Through the generations, the families of Pressigny, Aubigny, Janzé, and then, Le Lasseur became successively owners of the chateau. Finally, in 1927, the Countess of Dampierre sold the castle to the General Council of Calvados.

In 1929, the Château de Bénouville became a maternity ward. In 1935, the new director Léa Vion admitted homeless and resourceless women and those wishing or having to hide their pregnancy. 

During World War II, Léa Vion was also hiding Allied aircraft pilots, weapons, and explosives at the chateau, providing fake documents and passing information to the Allies. The Château de Bénouville and its maternity ward became an important place of resistance in Calvados.

During the Normandy landings, fighting took place near the chateau, particularly during the capture of the Pegasus Bridge, by the 6th Airborne Division.