This word may not sound familiar to you, but to people from the Pays de Caux - called the Cauchois - it is part of the landscape.
The "clos-masure" is a typical farm from the Pays de Caux: hedges planted with beech trees used as windbreaks in the shape of a square surrounding (enclosed) various buildings. A "clos-masure" usually consists of a house, a cowshed, a barn, a cart house, and a dovecote. They can also comprise a horse riding ring, a bread oven or a flax oven.
You should visit the Manoir du Catel to get the full scope of this model of social and agricultural organisation. The oldest stately manor house is located in a "clos-masure" in Ecreteville-lès-Baon near Yvetot. It was awarded the "Grand Trophée 2013" for the most beautiful restoration of a historic building.
The way in which the surrounding trees are planted is currently under consideration to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status. The purpose is to protect this heritage, which is unique in the world. The "clos-masures" are indeed disappearing progressively because of the modernisation of agriculture and the evolution of lifestyles. They are often remodelled: the hedges are flattened, the trees are cut down, the ponds are filled up or they lose their agricultural role. UNESCO recognition would help to save this fragile and little-known heritage.