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Origin and history

The tower of Ansouhaite, built in the 14th century in Moulon (Gironde), is a strong house typical of medieval Aquitaine. Built of local gold stone, it is 14.10 m long by 9.30 m wide, with walls of 1.05 m thick. His role was both defensive (delaying enemies) and watchful, watching a meander of the Dordogne for 5 km. The tower, almost intact despite the disappearance of its niches, illustrates the rustic but solid military architecture of the time.

The tower was probably built by Raymond de Grésignac after obtaining, on 29 May 1314, the authorization of Edward II, king of England, to fortify his manse of Moulon. This context is part of the English policy favouring the multiplication of strong places in Aquitaine by its vassals. Previously, Moulon's seigneurial centre was La Motte, an 11th-century wooden fortress located 1.5 km north, which has become obsolete. The tower of Ansouhaite, referred to as the tower of Ansouette on the map of Cassini (1774), derives its name from a deformation of the Basque toponym Haltzueta ("aulnaie").

The site was strategic: located 1 km southwest of the village, on the departmental road D128, it dominated a meander of the Dordogne, allowing to signal the enemy boats with an hour advance. Architecturally, the tower combines defensive elements (mâchicoulis, murders with flared embrasures) and residential elements (trilobic windows). It was listed in the Historical Monuments on 1 March 1966. Restored since 1981, it now offers a preserved example of medieval domus fortis, intended for both housing and monitoring.

The seigneury of Moulon, often redistributed by the kings of England, passed among several families, including the Grésignac (linked to the castle of Roquefort) and the Albret. A marriage contract of 1313 mentions La Motte as a dowry, but the site was abandoned in favour of the Ansouhaite tower, better adapted to 14th century military standards. Gallo-Roman artifacts (trails, spear tips) found near La Motte suggest an ancient occupation of the promontory, but without direct connection to the current tower.

The tower owes its present name to a 19th-century cacography, wrongly inspired by the verb wishing. Local archives cite variants such as Ansoeta or Ansouette, reflecting the linguistic evolution of the original Basque toponym. Ranked as domus fortis, it embodies the transition between the wooden castral mots (like La Motte) and the stone fortified houses, symbols of the local seigneurial power under English domination.

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