The Dovecote: A Sign of Wealth

In France, up until the Revolution, dovecotes were reserved for landowners, mainly from the nobility.
They were used to collect pigeon droppings, which made an excellent crop fertilizer.

The interior walls of the dovecotes were hollowed out into pigeonholes, each of which could accommodate a pair of pigeons.
The number of holes inside was determined by the surface area of the owner's farming property. It was usually two pigeonholes for every hectare.

So, the more pigeonholes a dovecote had, the larger the landowner's fiefdom was, and therefore, the larger his fortune.

In matrimonial alliances, the wealth of each party was often determined by the number of pigeonholes in the dovecote.
Some families had false pigeonholes added to misrepresent the surface area of their land… This practice could be the reason why the word "pigeon" is used to mean "dupe" even today.

However, pigeons can be harmful to crops because they raid the wheat and corn fields for food.
To protect their fields, farmers erected their dovecotes on the edge of their estates, in the hope that the pigeons would go and eat their neighbors' crops instead of their own.

To retaliate, the neighboring farmers, whose crops were then endangered, would build a more imposing dovecote directly opposite.
This use of dovecotes in landowners' squabbles resulted in the construction of even more of these buildings.
Pictured here: A dovecote in Laparade.

Throughout the 19th century, the dovecote remained a sign of financial success and some owners were keen to embellish them. Their styles could vary, as there are up to eight different types of dovecotes.
Here are two turreted dovecotes in Moncaut, which make the estate look like a castle.

Dovecotes with arcades are mainly found in castles. These types of buildings contain a large number of pigeonholes, which can be accessed by a central ladder.
Here is a dovecote in Moncrabeau.

The Esclottes dovecote was originally built in the early 19th century and subsequently restored in 2019. Its plaster, floors, and roof were restored. Plans are underway to hold events celebrating the community's heritage around the building.

As was often the case, the pigeonholes inside the dovecote of Esclottes were filled in to prevent the pigeons from coming to nest there once their droppings were no longer needed for fertilizer.

The Jean-de-Blanc dovecote in Saint-Astier is a symbol of the AOC Côtes de Duras vineyard. It is where the annual celebration of the festival marking the beginning of the grape harvest takes place.
Having become a danger to the public, it was acquired by the commune in 2014. They had it restored with support from the Fondation du Patrimoine (Cultural Heritage Foundation), to allow this popular event to continue each year in its traditional location.