Abstract
Abstract. Manor Houses were the homes and centres of operation of Basque noble families during the Late Medieval Period. From early defensive Tower Houses to the Palaces of the early 16th century, Manor Houses evolved during the Late Middle Ages, adapting to different historical periods. Despite their heritage value, these buildings are in danger of being lost. Investigations of past centuries encouraged the emergence of false beliefs around Manor Houses – excessively old constructive periods, assignment of defensive origins to most buildings, etc.–. This has resulted in serious errors in heritage catalogues and, subsequently, a high number of unfortunate architectural interventions. This paper aims to analyse and characterize the typological evolution of Basque Manor Houses, in order that the results be used as guideline for future protection strategies. The work was divided into three sections: field work, documentary research and historical-constructive analysis. Collected data was uploaded into QGIS software, which was then used to carry out a comparative analysis. An inventory of 2050 Manor Houses has been developed, which includes a “Red List” of 472 buildings in danger of being lost. Five typologies of Manor Houses have been identified: one with a defensive function – the Tower House – and four types of non-defensive constructions – Tower Palace, Rural Palatial House, Large Palace and Village Manor House –. Most of the existent Basque Manor Houses were built after the mid-15th century and were non-defensive from their original construction.
Highlights
Late Medieval Manor Houses are one of the most important heritage elements of the Basque Country
Research work carried out during the 16th and 19th centuries contributed to the emergence of false beliefs around Manor Houses, which have endured to the present day
This work aims to analyse and characterize the typological evolution of Late Medieval Manor Houses in the Basque Country, so that the results can be used as a guide for future preservation and rehabilitation strategies with respect to this endangered heritage
Summary
Late Medieval Manor Houses are one of the most important heritage elements of the Basque Country. From the first defensive Tower Houses to the pre-renaissance Palaces of the early 16th Century, Manor Houses evolved over the 14th and 15th centuries. These buildings were the homes and centres of operation for diverse elites that dominated the Basque territories in the Late Middle Ages —the rural nobility, urban oligarchs, wealthy merchants and ecclesiastical elites—, who adapted this type of housing to their specific needs. Research work carried out during the 16th and 19th centuries contributed to the emergence of false beliefs around Manor Houses, which have endured to the present day These false beliefs, especially the allocation of excessively old constructive periods and defensive origins to most buildings, have led to the erroneous cataloguing and classification of many of these buildings. Many of the official heritage catalogues and regulations contain errors, such as outdated information, erroneously located areas of archaeological interest and incorrect typological classifications —most of the Manor Houses are registered as defensive Tower Houses—
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