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Origin and history

The Tuc de Houns is an 11th century castral motte vestige located in the commune of Saint-Paul-en-Born in the Landes. This type of medieval fortification, foreshadowing the strong castles, was formed by an artificial mound and defensive system (fossed, palisade). In the country of Born, these clay works were 15 to 30 metres in diameter and 4 to 6 metres in height, housing a wooden tower for the lord and a lower yard for the peasants in case of danger.

The Tuc de Houns is distinguished by its two mottes: one supported the seigneurial tower, the other, larger and less high, served as a bassyard. His name comes from the tuc gascon (buffet) and Houns, linked to Peter of Homs (Pedro de Hon), a gunman of the King of England. In 1255, the latter built a building on a concession of Henry III, to defend the confluence of the Canteloup and Escource streams, near the pond of Aureilhan.

These castral mots, symbols of feudal power, emerged at the beginning of the second millennium with the rise of the seigneurial system. They represented aristocratic control over land and men, often at the origin of future villages. In the country of Born, seven similar remains were identified, including that of the Tuc de Houns, a witness to the medieval social and military organization.

The site was initially close to the old village of Saint Paul, which was established on ancient Segosa. Local materials (clay, stone) and a large but unqualified workforce characterized these structures, unlike later stone fortresses. The Tuc de Houns thus illustrates an architectural and political transition between the An Mil and the 13th century.

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