Medieval Life - Types of Castle
Bodiam Castle East Sussex England UK, by WyrdLight.com.
After their successful invasion and conquest of England, the Normans began a period of castle
building that was to last right through the medieval period. Although castles had been built in
England since the time of the Romans, they had never been built with such speed or across such
a wide area.
This map shows the number of Norman castles built during the reign of William the Conqueror
(1066-1087)
Within an Existing Roman Fortress
The earliest castles built by the Normans were either constructed within an existing Roman Fort
or were Motte and Bailey castles. These were soon replaced by Stone Keep castles as they
offered better protection from attack. Concentric castles developed during the 12th and 13th
Centuries and were virtually impossible to conquer.
Pevensey castle in East Sussex is an example of a Norman Castle built inside an existing Roman
Fort.
Motte and Bailey Castles
Motte and Bailiey castles were the earliest form of castles built completely from scratch by the
Normans. As their name suggests they had two parts the Motte and the Bailey.
The Motte was a large hill made of earth on which was built a wooden keep or lookout. The
outer edge was then surrounded with a large wooden fence called a palisade.
The Bailey was separated from the Motte by a wooden bridge that could be removed if the
Bailey was occupied by enemies. The Bailey was the part of the castle where people lived and
animals were kept. A large castle might have more than one Bailey.
To give added protection to the castle, both the Motte and Bailey would be surrounded by a
ditch, sometimes filled with water. A drawbridge was used for access to the castle.
Stone Keep Castle
This type of castle soon replaced the Motte and Bailey castles as it offered a better form of
defence. A stone keep was the central feature, with thick walls and few windows. Entrance to the
keep was by stone steps leading to the first floor. The kitchens were situated on the ground floor
while living quarters were on the upper floors.
The first keeps were rectangular in shape but later ones were often circular. The Stone Keep
would be surrounded by a thick stone wall containing turrets for lookouts.
The Bailey was now the area outside the keep but within the outer walls and shelter for animals
or craft workshops might be built against the walls. The entire castle might be surrounded by a
ditch or moat and entrance to the castle was by drawbridge.
Concentric Castles
The Concentric castle was developed in the 12th and 13th Centuries and offered the best
protection against attack.
The main feature of the concentric castle is its walls. An inner wall built of thick stone with
turrets positioned at intervals is then surrounded by an equally thick but lower stone wall. The
walls are built at different levels so that archers on the inner walls can fire over the archers on the
outer walls.
The space between the two walls was known as the 'death hole' for being trapped within the
walls would almost certainly result in death for the attacker. The entire castle was then often
surrounded with a moat and entry would be across a drawbridge.
Medieval Life - Attacking and
Defending a Castle
The main methods of attacking a Medieval Castle were:
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Fire
Battering Rams
Ladders
Catapults
Mining
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Siege
Fire
Fire was the best way to attack the early Motte and Bailey castles since they were made entirely
of wood. The fire might be started by building a bonfire against the outer wooden fence
(palisade) or, more usually, by archers shooting fire-arrows into the castle. As the fire spread
through the castle those living inside would be forced to leave allowing the attackers to take
them prisoner or kill them. This was one of the reasons why Motte and Bailey castles were soon
replaced by Stone Keep castles. Fire has little effect on a stone castle.
Battering Ram
The thick stone walls of the Stone Keep castles were difficult for men to knock down. Although
pickaxes could be used against castles with thinner walls, it would take a very long time to knock
a hole through a castle with very thick walls. The battering ram was particularly useful since the
weight of several men would be put behind it. This would make it a considerable force that could
seriously weaken and possibly destroy doors or walls.
Ladders
Ladders were used by those attacking a castle to climb over the walls and fight the castle
inhabitants within the castle walls. However, ladders had the disadvantage of leaving the man
climbing the ladder subject to attack by arrow, boiling water or oil, or by being thrown to the
ground if the ladder was pushed away from the wall. To prevent this type of attack the Belfry or
Siege Tower was developed.
The Belfry was a large structure on wheels that could be pushed up to the castle walls. Ladders
inside the Belfry allowed attackers to climb to the top under cover and get into the castle. Castle
owners prevented this type of attack by piling earth up against the castle walls so that the Belfry,
which was on wheels, could not be pushed near to the castle.
Catapult
A variety of catapults or siege engines were developed during the Middle Ages to fire stones,
fireballs or other objects such as dead sheep, cattle, or plague victims, at the castle walls or into
the castle itself. This type of catapult works by twisting rope as tightly as possible so that it acts
like elastic when the arm is released.
Mining
A good way of attacking a stone castle was through mining. Attackers would dig a tunnel
underground up to the castle walls, under the gatehouse if possible. They would then set a charge
and make an explosion which would make the walls crumble and collapse. The advantage of
mining was that the attack could not be seen by those living in the castle. However, if those
inside the castle were aware that attackers were mining underground, they would often mine
from the castle to meet the attackers underground and there would be a sword battle.
Siege
Another good way of attacking a stone castle was by placing it under siege. Attackers would
surround a castle with both men and catapults so that no one could enter or leave the castle.
Sieges could last for months, usually until the inhabitants of the castle ran out of food and were
starving. One of the castle owner's main line of defence against siege was to send all women,
children, old, weak and sick people out of the castle. This meant that only those strong enough to
fight off attackers remained in the castle and that the food supply would last much longer.