During the 13thC, as the Plantagenet kings of England attempted to extend their overseas domains beyond Aquitaine, so the French sought to contain them. The result, apart from much skirmishing, was several hundred bastidas or fortified settlements, peppering the length and breadth of south-western France. The plan was simple: a square or rectangular grid of streets protected by ramparts around a central arcaded square and fortress-like church. The church was the last bastion in the event of an attack, and settlers were offered inducements to stay in the form of land and exemption from military service (they were already in the front line).

South of Bergerac, there is a cluster of these little settlements – Eymet, Villeréal, Monflanquin, Beaumont – and the best preserved of all, Monpazier (45 km SE of Bergerac on the D660), which dozes quietly on the edge of a precipice above the River Dropt. Monpazier was founded by Edward I in 1285, and maintained a constant feud with the lords of Château Biron down the valley (8 km S via the D2/D53), This immense mongrel of a château with 10,000 square metres of roof alone dates from the 13thC.