Territories and country of the department of the Moors

Under the Old Mode, the territory of the current Landes belonged to the province of Gascogne and included/understood several natural countries, whose form, size, borders and names could change during time.

At the time of the creation of the department the March 4th 1790 pursuant to the law of the December 22nd 1789, several great units heterogeneous were gathered:

a vast part in the south of the Landes of Gascogne
a series of small countries along Adour gathered here under the name of Pays of Adour landais

who départment gave rise to Moors, and two other units, quite as heterogeneous gave rise to the department of the Gironde:

a vast part in North of the Moors of Gascogne in the West of the Garonne
a vast part in the East of the Garonne corresponding to the area of the vignobes of Bordeaux

The recutting of the national territory decided by the Constituent Assembly in 1790 met a double aim:

to rationalize the territorial grid
to break the system of honesty of the Old Mode

Thus natural areas were parcelled out whereas heterogeneous units were joined together. In the South-west of France, the Gascogne disappeared as such. Name even does not exist any more in the new nomenclature of the departments and areas.

Departmental Moors

They are composed:

of the High Moor (or Large Moor) in which one distinguishes:

- the Albret in North (Labrit)

- the Brassenx between Maremne and Marsan (Arjuzanx, Arengosse, Morcenx)

of the Small Moors country of transition between the High-Moor and the Armagnac, of which a part is included in the department. One distinguishes there:

- the Country of Marsan (course of the Midouze)

- the Gabardan more in the east.

of the Country of Born (of Lévignacq to Sanguinet)
of the Marensin (of Soustons to Linxe)
of the Maremne (of the marshes of Orx to Seignosse)

N.B. the Baronnie of Capbreton & Labenne was characterized some in particular by the rules from heritage: strict equality as in Marensin whereas Maremne was of Pyrenean right: absolute seniority (without reference to sex).

Countries of Adour

They are composed:

of the country of Seignanx (between Maremne and country of Kid)
of the Country of Kid (between Seignanx and Adour, vis-a-vis Urt)
of the Country of Orthe (area of Peyrehorade in the South-west of Chalosse)
of the Chalosse (vast area enters the Adour, the Gabas and the Béarn, including the Aguais and the Auribat)
of the Tursan (or Airais), wine-producing area between Gabas and Adour, in the South of Aire-sur-l'Adour

These countries are included at the department of the Moors, although they are not in the Moors of Gascogne, but naturally turned towards the Béarn and the Basque Country.

Internal bonds

Old communes of the Moors
History of the Moors (department)
Intercommunalités of the Moors (of which some take again these old names)
Tourisme in the Moors

External bonds

Place names in the Moors

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