The district of left strand of the Midou that we will call the Borough - by opposition to the castelnau of the right strand - was also in the middle of the XIVème century him surrounded of defensive walls, to the exception probably of the part occupied today by the place of the Port and parcels situated to his periphery.
This surrounding wall had the trapezoidal shape that appears again as regards to the XIXème century therefore. To the north and to the west, she followed the course of the Midou then, the one of the Midouze. The oriental wall, perpendicular in the Midou, was more or less in the extension of the one of the castelnau presumably built, him also, toward the middle of the XIV century. The implantation of the southern defensive wall was certainly determined by the presence of the vast enclosure of the Cordelierses that occupies all the southwesterly angle.
As for the tracing of the southwesterly defensive wall that links up to the one that edges the Midouze, he was, him also, ordered in part by this enclosure, but especially by the existence in border of the river of a district densely populated.
To the difference of the castelnau whose plan permits to reconstitute the big lines of his development, the district of the Borough is suitable a lot less to such an analysis.
He is likely, first of all, that if his beginnings were not contemporary of those of the 1st castelnau, they must follow of little. Because, once the Midou cleared, 3 roads offered themselves to the travelers: those of area, eastward, of Saint-Sever, to the south, Tartas and Bayonne, to the west, whose axes draw a cross and that gave birth to their branching in the traffic circle of the canton. However, because of the slope, this crossroads settled, no to the outlet of the bridge, but to close to 100m beyond. The borough was born therefore as a matter of course between the bridge and the crossroads developed itself then along the 3 axes.
He is certain that, in a 1st time, maybe until the XIV century, this borough remained opened, since the door that kept the bridge of the Midou was again in the XVIIème century of the side of the Borough, on the southern strand of the river. The only indication that permits to stake out the development of Boil it is provided us by the convent of the Cordelierses whose retained foundation date is the one of 1260.
He is therefore likely that to this time the lands that were between the site on which was built the convent and the Midouze were already occupied. Since 1250, the borough would have reached the half of the development that it knew at the end of the Middle Ages therefore. He is more or less certain, indeed, that the borough must increase simultaneously on both sides of the active street from the bridge to the road crossroads. Another testimony of the importance acquired by this district is provided us by the agreement concluded in 1323 between the priory of the Madeleine and the Cordelierses about the right of burial.
It is likely that several successive surrounding walls staked out the development of the district until was established the big visible surrounding wall on the drawing of J. of Weert, in 1612, but that goes back up, according to all probability, in the middle of the XIVème century.
Such was therefore the agglomeration montoise as began the war of Hundred Years. Extended of about 15 ha with his 5 doors and maybe already his 2 bridges, it was therefore a real city that was born in 2 centuries. He imports to wonder about the reasons of this flight therefore.
