'the plain' (the adjoining richly fertile river flood-plain) – the houses within the walled 'bourg' emptied, and consequently fell into dis-repair, even collapse. But the prehistoric stone of Périgord is indestructible. Three of the original four entrance gates into the defensively-walled village still stand; and beyond them you walk onto the river bank, or just out into green fields, as you would have done 800 years ago. History of the village Behind the buildings that form the river frontage is a cave, not open to the public, which dates to the Magdalenian VI period (at least 12,000 years ago), and includes about 200 carvings in the limestone plates, as well as many carved antlers and other bones. The carvings are of a variety of animals, including a rare find, a fox. It therefore seems likely that there has been a settlement here for some 15,000 years. When the Celts arrived they named it "Lemoialum", meaning 'a place planted with elms'. The first crude fortification was constructed here by The Gauls, probably from wood – which was inevitably taken by the Romans when they arrived in the 50s BC (There remain traces of a Roman villa near the Chapelle St Martin in the valley). With the decline of the Roman Empire in the 8th century AD, the Vikings invaded, and the population moved from the valley, where they worked the land, up into the higher, safer levels of the hillside – with the first complete fortress (again probably constructed from wood) on the highest terrace. Over the next 200 years stone defensive walls were built around the fortress, and then around the village itself: most of these remain amazingly intact today. Three of the four entrance Gates survive (the 4th was demolished to enable a new road to access the upper village). More recently, the English arrived in force with their King, Henry, Duke of Normandy, when he succeeded to the throne in 1154 – in 1152 he had married Aliénor Duchess of Aquitaine (now known as Eleanor). France became reduced to internal war between the two Royal houses – the Plantaganets from England, with their roots in Normandy and Anjou; and the Valois, from Provence. The ensuing 'Hundred Years' War' lasted off and on between 1137 and 1453, with Limeuil being allied to the English for most of that time. But in 1449 the tide had begun to turn, as