Year 7 History Term 3: How did castles help the Normans to maintain control?
Your task is to produce a homework project on why the Normans built castles. You will
need to include information (at least one paragraph) on each of these points.
 Introduction- background information on how the Normans came to power.
 Why did the Normans build castles?
 How did the Normans build castles?
 How did people’s lives change after castles were built?
 How did people’s lives stay the same after castles were built?
 Conclusion- how did castles help the Normans to gain control?
 Evaluation- explain where you found your information and how you
researched your project.
To achieve your target level, you should:
Access
 State one aspect of peoples lives that changed when castles were built.
 Find out some information about why castles were built
Level 4
 Describe life in a castle
 Find out information
Level 5
 Give examples of how life changed and how it stayed the same after castles
were built.
 Find out detailed information
Level 6
 Clearly explain how life changed and how it stayed the same after castles were
built
 Find out detailed and relevant information
Level 7
 Write an extended answer where I analyse the extent of change and continuity
after castles were built
 Investigate the topic with little help with little help and write a conclusion backed
up by supporting evidence
Use the information on the following pages to help you start your research.
The Normans had taken control of England by force. Many English people hated them
and would have attacked them if they had been given a chance. Castles were a way of
keeping the Normans and their followers safe. The Normans built castles wherever
they settled.
Motte and Bailey castles
The early castles were known as motte and bailey castles because they had two main
features. A large mound of earth (called the motte) was constructed and a wooden
tower was built on top. Beside the motte was the bailey- a large yard with a ditch and
fence around the outside. This is where the soldiers lived.
Square keep castles
Motte and bailey castles did have weaknesses so, after 1100, the Normans built a
different type of castle- a square keep castle. These castles were made of very thick
stone and had a variety of rooms- try to find out what type of rooms the castles had.