I’m recycling this post from January 15th because I want to share an excerpt from Wagers Gone Awry: Conundrums of the Misses Culpeppers Book 1 which inspired the research into dovecotes in the first place.
 |
| Wikimedia Commons |
Called pigeon cotes, columbariams, culveries, and doocots in Scotland, dovecotes were used to farm doves or pigeons, once an important source of food. England alone had over 26,000 of the structures in the seventeenth century. Built to house between two and five hundred pair, the young pigeons, or squabs, were generally fated for the dining room table since their meat was tender, while the adult birds’ meat was considered tough and unappetizing, though some sources suggest adult pigeons were eaten just as often.
I’ve eaten both adult pigeon and dove, and though not as tender as chicken, the meat certainly is edible.
The eggs were coveted as another source of protein, and the birds’ dung was highly prized and valued as a superior fertilizer.
 |
| Wikimedia Commons |
Either built into the side of house or as free-standing structures, dovecots could be found in many shapes from rectangular to beehive and occasionally even octagon, though the most common shape was square. Their sizes varied as well, from little more than a simple, narrow hut to elaborate tower-like structures.
 |
| Wikimedia Commons |
The latter were more typically found on castle and manor house grounds where it wasn’t uncommon to find more than one dovecote. After all, the presence of a dovecote was a status symbol, so much so, that in medieval Europe, only nobles were permitted to possess them, which is why you might see them prominently displayed where all could witness the property owner’s importance.
It should be noted, the pigeons and doves were not popular with the surrounding farmers, and were in fact, considered a tremendous nuisance. That eventually led to regulations restricting pigeon farming.
 |
| Wikimedia Commons |
Often made of stone with protruding upper ledges (to keep the vermin out including polecats and martens) they were usually accessible through a small, wooden door. The interior was lined with nesting boxes. After the influx of brown rats in the middle of the eighteenth century, the lower levels boxes, those three-five feet off the ground, were patched over to keep the rats from the nests.
Dovecotes built later simply started the rows of nesting boxes higher or else constructed the dovecote on a stone or cement base dug into the ground prohibiting vermin from digging inside.
Wooden doors might have iron bars added to prevent rats from gnawing away at the wood, and dogs were used to deter unwelcome guests who entertained the notion of a free meal. As the popularity of dovecotes faded, the bird entrances were blocked and the buildings were converted to graneries or even stables, depending on the size of the building.
I have an earl locked in an empty dovecote in my current work in progress, though it’s not the first time I’ve had to research the fascinating historical outbuildings.
Enjoy a snippet from my current work-in-progress
A crow perched on the dovecote’s upper edge took to the sky, its croaking call stolen by a gust of wind whipping past. Heath shivered and secured the top button of his coat then dug around in his pocket and found his gloves. Damp leather didn’t do much to stave off the chill, but he tugged them on, nonetheless.
Damn, but he’d never been this miserably cold.
“Dark omen that.” Duffen pointed to the bird zig-zagging across the sky. “Bad luck to see a lone crow atop a house. Mark my words, my lord. You’ll wish you never set foot on Esherton Green’s lands afore the moon rises.”
That almost sounds like a threat.
Heath eyed the dour man and swallowed a chuckle. Like anyone could see the moon tonight with clouds thick as porridge. He wasn’t the least superstitious, nor did he believe in fate. “Well, I don’t think a pigeon cote qualifies as a house, so there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”
“Hmph. You city coves don’t know much do you?” Disgust crinkled Duffen’s face. “It’s a house for pigeons and doves, now aint it?”
Not in the last century.
Heath surveyed the ancient structure, spots of grass growing on the roof.
Or two.
So what do you think old Duffen is up to?
References:
http://www.mccannhistoricbuildings.co.uk/truthaboutdovecotes/
