England's Lost Castles

A great documentary on the timber castles of England.This goes in great depth into the motte-and bailey style castles.

The Motte and Bailey Castle

Motte and Bailey Castle

Origin

 Not a whole lot is known about the origin of the motte-and-bailey Castle. Lack of good records, and its being made of impermanent materials make it a more difficult object of study. However, it is believed by historians to have some Viking and/or Frankish influence. The earliest known motte-and-bailey castles were found in Flanders and France. Built during the time of the viking raids, they are believed to have been made first as a sort of army camp. This design was then believed to have been brought to England by the Normans when they invaded in 1066. The Normans were also known to be of viking descent.

The Design

The motte, or mound, was the tallest point of the castle. It could be a leveled-off, natural foundation, though most often it was man-made. Generally it was very steep and would have been extremely difficult to scale. At the base would have been a deep ditch, which may or may not have been filled with water. At the top was a palisade surrounding the keep. On the inside of this palisade there was often a raised walkway where military could watch for flares from villages under attack.

The keep was the strongest and usually last defense of the castle. This is where the Lord and his Lady lived. The keep, in many castles, also housed servants and personal military. Military would have been housed on the ground floor, while the Lord's family would occupy the upper. In other cases the military were housed in a barracks in the bailey. This depended mostly on the Lord's preference, and the size of the keep.

The palisade that surrounded both the motte and bailey was believed in many cases to be made of very tall piked logs or pointed planks about 2.5m (8ft.) high. Some excavation evidence also shows that some of these were plastered over, perhaps to give the appearance of being made of stone from a distance.

A wooden bridge connected the motte to the bailey. This bridge was also often lined by its own palisade. For additional defense, this bridge also could have a draw bridge, usually placed at either the bottom or the top, that could be partially drawn up to leave a large gap over top of the ditch in between. 

The bailey was called the courtyard or ward. It housed the buildings belonging to the Lord, such as the main hall, the chapel, workshops, stables, kitchen, storerooms, guardrooms, etc. Buildings in the bailey could be made of stone (like the chapel), wood, or even wattle and daub. Roofs were thatched and covered with straw and, unfortunately, easily caught on fire as a result. Some livestock was also kept inside the bailey. This courtyard was also surrounded by the palisade and a deep ditch that would sometimes hold water (moat).
Note: Some larger castles of this style included more then one bailey. These additional baileys may house some nobles, or those close to the Lord. Another outer bailey may house crafters, and another the peasants or common work force (village).

The gateway usually boasted a wooden tower of sorts. This could be guarded from the top by soldiers as a first defense. This is also the location of the first draw bridge which could easily be drawn or lowered over the ditch or moat.


General Information
This style of castle was very popular during the Early Middle Ages, mostly due to the fact that it was easily and quickly built. With forced man power, of course. A well supplied workforce could construct a motte and bailey in weeks. A stone castle could take years. However, the weakness of the motte-and-bailey castle was its flammability. Thus, the eventual change to stone.


I hope you find this information helpful! Feel free to ask questions! :)

Castles: Types

Castles are an important part of Medieval fiction. Often times writing centers around them. So, it is important that you know your facts. Which types of castle existed during the time in which your story takes place?

This post focuses on the different types. I will go into each individually and in greater detail in the posts following.

Early Middle Ages

The first castles built in Europe were a direct result of necessity. Raiders were prevalent, following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Villages were terrorized, and a need for protection arose. Thus began feudalism in Europe. Lords began offering their protection in exchange for the villagers' land. And, their sworn service.

These first "castles" were very different from the ones most people are familiar with. Most likely due to the fact that they were made of wood and have long since disappeared; either by fire in siege, or merely rotted away.

The most common of the early castles was the wooden Motte and Bailey. These began to appear around 950 AD and continued to be used until around 1100-1200 AD.

The lower portion, being the bailey, encircled and protected the courtyard (workshops, the chapel, main hall, etc). The motte (or mound) was surrounded by its own palisade and contained the keep. This is where the Lord and his Lady lived. Again, I will go into more detail in a later posting.

Another version, less costly to lower Lords, was the Ringwork Castle. This forwent the motte, including only the bailey. Generally this was surrounded by a deep ditch, and occasionally a moat.

High Middle Ages

It was during this time that wooden castles and palisades begin to give way to stone. Wood was hard to defend. It was easily burned. And, if not burned it soon began to rot. People needed something stronger. As the new stone keeps grew in size the motte began to disappear (some sources say this is due to the weight of the stone, and the inability of the man-made motte to support it). 

The keep was the first to make the change to stone. Thus introducing the Square Keep, which began its appearance somewhere around 1070 AD. This provided a safer place for the Lord's family, servants, and soldiers.

Some Lords opted to, instead, replace the wooden palisade with a stone wall. This type was called a Shell Keep (c.1100) and could be round or quatrefoil (shaped like a four-leafed clover. In this case the buildings were placed along the curtain wall rather then stacked as in the square keep. Very few of these examples still survive today.

Restormel Castle, Cornwall, England, UK

Around 1150 AD, weaknesses in the design of the square keep forced architects to experiment with new designs. The corners being the main concern as they were easily undermined. They were difficult to defend from side-placed windows, and tunnels dug beneath them caused them to collapse. Thus, the Polygonal Keep began to make its appearance allowing a greater range of defense. 

Orford Castle, Suffolk, England, UK

Another variation, found to be the easiest to defend due to the total lack of corners, was the Round Keep.  These also began to spring up around 1150 AD.

TreTower Castle, UK

Late Middle Ages

Towards the close of the High Middle Ages and the beginning of the Late Middle Ages, castles again made a change. Comfort began to become a factor. Previous castles were built mainly with defense in mind. They were not fun to live in. They were dark, lacked privacy, were smoky, cold, etc. So, despite the effectiveness of the latest keeps in defense, the keep overall began to disappear from the design of newly built castles. By the end of the Middle Ages, safety was not as much of a fear and castles began to become entirely made to be lavish, well-fortified, homes.

The Wall Tower Castles were build almost in a similar layout as the old shell keeps with a single thick outer, or curtain, wall, with buildings lining the inner side. This allowed for defense, with the placement of mural towers, as well as the comfort that had been disregarded with the old stone keeps. Buildings were better built, and ventilated.

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk, England, UK

In the late 13th century (c.1280) the Concentric Castle was introduced. This held both ultimate defense and luxury. It was considered to be impregnable. However, though it effectively kept the enemy out, it also kept those inside in. Enemies often resorted to a "starve-them-out" strategy as oppose to a full-scale attack. The characteristics of these particular castles were their rings of walls. Thus giving the defending castle multiple levels for attack, with the potential of trapping the enemy within the walls. You can see the devastating effect this would have on the attacker, and understand why they resorted to other means. These castles also generally had a moat.

Beaumaris Castle, Isle of Anglesey, UK

After this, about 1450 AD, castles started to become more of a status symbol. Comfort and beauty trumped defense. Though, the majority still were able to withstand siege to some extend. However, war was changing. Fighting moved mainly to the battlefield. It was more cost effective. Feudalism fell, and the country became more united. Castle building declined... Enter the Renaissance.

I hope this brief overview was helpful. There were many different kinds of castles built in the Middle Ages, this covers some of the more popular designs used. I will enjoy going more into the designs and layouts of these castles in future posts! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions! :)

Welcome!

As someone who has always been interested in writing, and the Middle Ages, I have decided to find a place to compile my research. This for my own use, but also anyone else who may be writing for this time period. I hope to post helpful facts about the Middle Ages, as well as links to references and other fun related pages that may be of use to writers.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope to begin posting soon! :)