Pre
1000 |
Pre-Medieval Castles |
| Key Features |
- Iron Age Hill-forts
- Rocky outcrops
- Steep slopes and ditches
- Roman rectangular forts
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To avoid being attacked either by fellow humans or wild animals and without the luxury of a stone castle the best defence for Iron Age people was to live somewhere that was difficult for those attackers to get at. This is how primitive people planned their defences. By living somewhere from which they could see attackers coming and somewhere they could easily defend early humans were able to survive.
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 More Information... |
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| 1000 |
Keep and Bailey Castles |
Military Tactics |
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| Key Features |
- Roughly circular enclosure known as a bailey
- Defensive walls and ditches
- Central Stronghold for added defence known as a keep
- Mainly wooden and rough stone wall construction
This type of castle is where a Saxon Lord would live in relative safety from attack. In
times of trouble the surrounding population could find shelter in the bailey.
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More Information ...
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Attackers
Defenders
- Strong gatehouse
- Water filled ditches
- Keep built on mound (motte)
- Keep last line of defence
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Motte and Bailey Castles |
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| Key Features |
- Earth and timber construction
- Central stronghold raised on mound (motte)
- Motte built from scratch or reuse of existing feature
- Extra ditches around motte
- Many hundreds built during the Norman Conquest of Britain
The Normans built these castles around England and on the borders of
Wales to keep the local inhabitants under their control. Examples of
existing castles that started as Motte and Baileys include Warwick and
Windsor.
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Rulers: Edward the Confessor - William the Conqueror
Castles: Wallingford, Warwick, Windsor
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| More Information ... |
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| 1070 |
Norman Keep Towers |
Siege Methods |
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| Key Features |
- Massive square tower with four corner turrets
- Built in the times of William the Conqueror and William Rufus
- Extremely thick walls
- Internally divided into two halves
- Incorporated rooms for storage and living quaters
- Also has a built in chapel
William the Conqueror and his master castle builder Gundalf built the
massive White Tower in London to dominate the local inhabitants.
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Rulers: William the Conqueror - Stephen
Castles: Tower of London, Rochester
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| More Information ... |
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Attackers
- Moats bridged with planks
- Walls scaled with ladders
- Seige towers built
- Undermining of walls
- Siege engines - trebuchet
Defenders
- Push ladders away
- Counter mines
- Boiling oil and Greek fire
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| 1160 |
Improved Designs |
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Although square keeps were still being built, it became clear that the
old design had several problems: -
- Easy to undermine at corners
- Corners had defensive blind spots
To overcome these problems the castle designers began to build multi-sides
and round keeps. Orford Castle is a very good example of a many sided keep
and is still in very good condition.
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Rulers: Henry II - Henry III
Castles: Orford, Conisborough, Odiham
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| More Information ... |
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| 1270 |
Concentric Castle |
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A concentric castle consists of an inner ward surrounded by one or
more outer walls. If an attacker manages to get past one wall there
is still one or more set of walls to get past to get to the centre. An attacker
could get trapped between walls and be an easy target for the defenders.
The first true concentric castle in Britain was Caerphilly Castle in Wales
ordered by Henry III.
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| More Information ... |
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Edward I - Welsh Castles |
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Edward I built a series of castles in North Wales along the coast where
they could be resupplied by sea. They allowed Edward to conquer Llewelyn ap
Gruffyfdd, the Prince of Wales. Each castle had a small town attached to it
protected by a enclosing wall. These castles include Caernarfon, Flint,
Conway, Harlech and Hawarden.
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Rulers: Henry III - Edward I
Castles: Caerphilly, Flint, Caernarfon, Conway, Harlech, Hawarden
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| More Information ... |
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1300
and
1400 |
Fortified Manor Houses |
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| Key Features | |
- Defence less of a priority
- Designed to impress
- Crenelations for effect
- Manor houses
- Brick construction in 1400s
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In these two centuries fewer new castles were built. The King and Barons
concentrated on improving the castles they had, making them larger and more
comfortable to live in. Those that were built were designed first for
luxury and to impress rather than for defence.
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Rulers:Edward II - Richard II
Castles: Maxstoke, Nunney, Bodiam, Old Wardour
Richard II - Henry VII
Castles: Hurstmonceaux, Tattershall
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1538
to
1540 |
Coastal Defences |
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| Key Features | |
- Squat and circular
- Thick walls
- Several tiers of gun ports
- No living quarters for lord or family
- Built to guard important estuaries
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The requirement to live in castles in England had passed because the barons and nobles were
no longer fighting amongst themselves. But the threat of invasion from France was very real.
In the reign of Henry VIII the threat became so great that the King ordered the construction of several
new castles along the south coast of England. These are known as the gun-forts of Henry VIII.
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Rulers:Henry VIII
Gun-forts: Deal, Walmer, Pendennis, St. Mawes
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