Castle layout1/7/2024 Although stone wasn’t impregnable, it provided some protection against fire. One solution to this was to build castles from stone. However, attackers quickly learned that the simplest way to overcome such a castle was to launch flaming arrows at it, and burn the timber to the ground. Sometimes these were built of timber – a material that was quick, cheap, and easy to use. The Normans had pioneered building simple ‘keeps’, or buildings, on the top of the flattened bailey. Norman Stone Castles: Built As Wood Was Just Too Flammable! Stone castle (Rochester, England). Only a small number still exist to today in the UK.ĭiscover more about rare Shell Keep designs. Of all the castle designs featured on this page, shell keeps are a relatively rare and interesting phenomenon. This ring of stone replaced old, sea, wooden fencing. To do so, they built a ‘shell keep’ – a thin ring of stone around the buildings on top of the castle Motte (mound). Credit: Caro11ne, CC-BY-ND-2.0.ĭespite the innovations of Motte and Bailey castles, these castle designs were far from perfect.ĭuring the 1100s and 1200s, engineers came up with a way to strengthen old Motte and Bailey castles. Shell Keep Castles: An adaptation of the Motte and Bailey castle design Shell Keep (Restormel, England). Uncover all the secrets of Motte & Bailey castles. These castles were one of the primary reasons why the Normans succeeded in conquering so much of Europe. The key benefit of Motte & Bailey castles was that they were very quick to build, but pretty difficult to attack. The ‘Motte’ could be surrounded with a ditch, and buildings could be placed on the bailey – made of timber or, if time permitted, stone. The first castles, built in the Early Middle Ages (early Medieval period), were ‘earthworks’ – mounds of earth primarily built for defence, as enemies struggled to climb them.ĭuring the 1000s, the Normans developed these into Motte and Bailey castle designs.Įffectively, a ‘Motte’ was a large mound of earth, and a ‘Bailey’ was the flattened area beside the mound. Early Medieval Times From Norman Times: Motte & Bailey Castles – Simple Designs that were Quick to Build Motte & Bailey (Wiston Castle, Wales) (Credit: Jayne) ![]() ![]() Fundamentally, these changing designs were due to the changes in the purpose and significance of castles. This page gives a brief overview of the history of castles, and explains why different castle designs came about. Nowadays, castles are designed for prestige, for fantasy, and to embellish a romantic view of the life of kings, queens and nobles from years gone by. The first castles were simply ‘mounds’ of earth, and medieval castle designs improved on these basics – adding ditches in the Motte & Bailey design.Īs technology advanced – and as attackers got more sophisticated – elaborate concentric castle designs emerged, creating a fortress almost impregnable to its enemies.
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