The dovecote

The Mont Landrin seigneury descended from the king in the 16th century and then passed into the hands of Normandy Parliament counsellors, such as Gilles, Henry Maignard and Joseph Alexandre Pavot. In the 17th century the domain was bought by the Coignard , a rich protestant family from Rouen.

Although its origins are medieval, the dovecote that is visible today dates from a reconstruction or a major overhaul in 1730. It is distinctive by its  hexagonal shape and its brick construction; It is covered by a pepper shaker roof and has only one flight window. Its decoration is particularly elegant, typical of the wealth of the Cauchois region (Pays de Caux) adorned with varnished brick lozenges and chainwork in white stone. Today, this historic edifice is home to a medical-educational association.

The Right To a Dovecote : Proof of  Fief and a Detested Privilege.

In the North of France, including Normandy (called pays de coutume) the right to build a dovecote was a privilege reserved for the owners of a full fief. Owing a freestanding dovecote - an  imposing and independent tower- was tangible proof of wealth and power. The fief, or chef-moy, was traditionally attached to a seigneurial manor and included the dovecote. 

The lords built them big and beautiful and often engraved their coats of arms above the door as a mark of their status.

The investment was not purely symbolic. The pigeons were a supply of fresh meat, young pigeons were greatly appreciated in an era of salted foods. Even more importantly, pigeon droppings (colombine) were the most coveted of fertilizers, rich in azote, phosphoric acid, potassium and lime and thus an important source of revenue, thanks to intensive farming. A large dovecote had 1500 nests, which meant 3000 

pigeons.

This privilege was the most detested of all the seigneurial privileges. The local peasants complained of the considerable damage done to their seeds and harvests, an observer calculating that four pigeons consumed as much wheat as was needed to feed a man. Books of Grievances drawn up before the Revolution called for the destruction of the dovecotes or, at least, their regular closure during sowing periods, for example from 15 July to 30 August.

The right was abolished on the night of the 4th August 1789, demanding that pigeons remain shut inside during a period determined by the local communes. Even if coats of arms were hammered out, the majority of dovecotes were not demolished.

The Striking Architecture of the Caux Preservation 

The Seine Maritime department is particularly rich in dovecoats, more than 600 have been listed. The golden age for their construction was between the 16th and 18th centuries; their shapes vary, 51% being circular, which enabled the installation of the rotating ladder giving direct access to all the nests; 25% were square and 21% were polygonal, like the one in Mont Landrin.

Cauchois architecture was remarkable through the richness of its decoration and its polychromy, using a variety of local materials (brick, flint, sandstone and chalk), frequently arranged with virtuosity. An essential element was the larmier, a stone ledge around the outside of the dovecote to prevent predators from climbing up to the nests.

Faced with the gradual disappearance of these monuments, which were considered expensive and useless, the Cauchois heritage became the object of ardent protection. The Seine Maritime General Council was the pioneer of aid for their restoration. Today the general public can visit these treasures along the Cauchois Dovecote Route, a 55km tourist route along which 15 dovecotes are to be seen, or by visiting the Museum of Cauchois Dovecoats, in a restored dovecoat  at the Manoir d’Auffay in Oherville.