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Castles

Lesson4

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The First Norman Castles

• were Motte and Bailey castles

• The Motte was a manmade mound

• This was topped by a wood tower or Donjon

• It was surrounded by a ditch and a courtyard, containing other buildings and this area was called the Bailey.

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Why?

• They were quick to build sometimes only taking a couple of weeks

• To act as a fortified post • To provide a base where men, provisions and

horses could be housed • To overawe and frighten the indigenous

population • Motte and Bailey Castles provided a base

from which the Normans could govern the surrounding district

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Where were they?

• They were built on the highest ground in the area

• They often adjoined Rivers • They often overlooked Towns • They made use of existing sites of

Roman or Saxon forts and Burhs (fortified towns)

• They overlooked harbours

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To attack a castle you had to be brave!

• You had to – withstand constant attack from projectiles - arrows

and stones etc– Negotiate the outer ditch and embankment – Storm the gate – Negotiate the defences within the Bailey – Climb, or crawl up, the embankment of the Motte -

these were extremely steep and designed so that a horse could not climb it

– Take the gate of the Motte – Storm and capture the Tower

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So if you wanted to win …

• either• you would attack was fire! The timber

buildings would burn easily. • Or• The other form of attack would be to

lay siege to the Motte and Bailey Castle.

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But motte and bailey castles were not built to last!

• The solution was stone tower castle • BUT

– they took considerable time to build– they required a significant labour force, – and they were expensive!

• So the location of the stone castles were carefully chosen for the most advantageous political and military purposes

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The development of stone castles

• The wooden building was replaced by a square stone tower called the castle keep– straight walls were

easier to build than curved ones

• The Tower of London was one of the most famous

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How they were made

• Any local stone was used including– Hard Chalk – Flint – Limestone – Sandstone

• The main door was in the wall of the first floor, reached by a wooden staircase, that could easily be knocked down if the enemy approached

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Once the Keep was built then ..

• Ditches and banks and outer walls were added.

• Moats were an added defence feature • Limestone was used for the walls ( giving a

cream-coloured finish ) • The Norman Castle Keep was built as the

most protected part of the castle • Massive stone Gateways were introduced • A Barbican ( a tower or other fortification on

the approach to a castle) was erected at the gate

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Other features

• The Portcullis - vertical sliding wooden grille shod with iron suspended in front of a gateway designed to protect the gate

• Arrow loops - A narrow vertical slit to shoot arrows through

• Crenellations: a notched battlement made up of alternate crenels (openings) and merlons (square sawteeth)

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Other features

• Machicolations - a platform sticking out from the battlements with a hole in the floor for dropping missiles

• Murder Holes - a section between the main gate and a inner portcullis where arrows, rocks, and hot oil could be dropped

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Within the bailey were

• Barracks • Stables • Livestock • Other buildings

14A model of Colchester Castle

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We will come back and look at exactly how castles were attacked

and defended when we look at weapons and warfare later on

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The problems

• The one main building was difficult to defend

• Its square corners were vulnerable• King Edward 1 was having problems in

Wales (reigned 1272 to 1307)

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The solution

• The concentric castle is effectively lots of buildings, walls, towers and gatehouses in one massive castle complex

• The idea was to make the new Concentric Castles even more secure! Increase the lines of Defence!

• The Keep or main tower, at the centre of the castle, was the most important building - it housed the Lord, or King of the Castle, his possessions and his family!

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A model concentric castle

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A concentric castle contained some or all of

• A Stronger central Keep or Main Tower, often round in shape

• A High wall, complete with towers surrounded the Keep and the Inner Bailey

• At least one lower, outer wall surrounded the Inner High Wall

• Several Outer Walls and Outer Baileys were often added!

• Several Gatehouses were featured• Moats were added that were crossed by

drawbridges

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And not only did the concentric castle take up more space

• It was taller too• The inner walls were much higher• So that there was a good view of the

surroundings• The round towers meant that it was

harder for the enemy to go around the side of a tower

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Also

• because they were a lot bigger, there were more people inside

• The main tower, where the Baron lived was much more comfortable.

• The walls were panelled with wood• There were paintings and murals• The outside had carvings and

decoration

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First Floor

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Ground Floor

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Castle Life 1

• In early castles, life was far from comfortable. • The wind whistled through the wooden

shutters in the windows and most people slept on benches or on rough mattresses in the great hall.

• But by 1200s, castles had well furnished bed chambers and living rooms, heated by large open fires and lit by candles.

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Castle Life 2

• A castles were much more than just a fortress.

• Inside its walls there might have been a magnificent hall, comfortable chambers and a beautiful chapel.

• A castle was home of its lord, his family and his followers.

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Castle Life 3

• Larger castles had their own fish ponds, orchards and vineyards, as well as gardens which supplied vegetables and herbs.

• Cattle sheep and pigs were kept on surrounding farm land..

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Castle Life 4

• The great hall was the centre of castle life.

• On special occasions magnificent banquets were held here.

• The lord, his family and important guests sat at the high table, which was raised above the other diners and covered with a table cloth of fine linen.

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Castle Life 5• The Well

Almost all castles had a well within their walls. This was essential as a source of water if someone laid siege to the castle.

• The KitchenKitchens were built away from the Keep in case they caught fire.

• No toiletsCastles did not have toilets, instead people sat on wooden seats called 'garderobes'. These were built over a very long chute. Waste from the toilet fell down the chute into the moat.

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Homework• This is called ‘ You ask the questions’• Here are a number of words we used during

the lesson• I want you to make a quiz using 10 of them as

the answers.• This is how I want you to write them down

(they are like this because I will make a quiz on the wiki of the best of them)

• Say your answer was castle – then type this for example

• Question/definition* answer (from the list)• It is a defensive building in the Middle

Ages*castle• Try to keep your question or sentence as short

as you can – the game works better that way

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Homework• Here are you words/phrases: motte, bailey, donjon,

keep, wood, stone, moat, barbican, portcullis, arrow loop, crenulations, murder hole, concentric, drawbridge, banquet, well, garderobe

• Take care that your question can only have one answer: for example:

• A building inside a castle – now that could be donjon or keep

• So that would be marked wrong as the question has 2 answers

• ALSO VERY IMPORTANT• You can only ask questions that someone who

had seen the PowerPoint could answer!• So: Someone who is not ill* well• Would definitively be wrong!• As would, what we make chairs with*wood