The history

Motte-and-bailey castles, from Normandy to stone

Where the idea came from, how the Normans used it to take hold of England after 1066, and why the mounds went out of fashion.

Before 1066: France

In 10th-century France, strongholds often had a high mound circled by a ditch, as at Blois and Saumur. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Castle During the 11th century the motte-and-bailey castle spread throughout western Europe. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Castle

The Normans were Vikings who had settled in France. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle The first French castles stood on open plains, so a motte was needed to raise the castle above the plain. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle

The earliest ringwork castles were built before 1066, by Anglo-Saxons and Viking settlers. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

1066

Even before the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror built a castle at Hastings, near where he landed. English Heritage: Castles Through Time The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066. Bayeux Museum: Discover the Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story, in wool thread embroidered on linen, of William, Duke of Normandy, who became King of England in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings. Bayeux Museum: Discover the Bayeux Tapestry Despite its name, the Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidery. Bayeux Museum: Discover the Bayeux Tapestry

The Tapestry is 70 metres long and 50cm high, with 58 scenes. Bayeux Museum: Explore the Bayeux Tapestry online

The National Archives says the castle as we know it was introduced into England in 1066, during the Norman invasion led by William the Conqueror. The National Archives: Medieval castles (education)

Holding a conquered country

The Normans built castles all over the country to control and defend the land they had won. The National Archives: Medieval castles (education) Led by William the Conqueror, the Normans built hundreds of motte-and-bailey castles to take control of England after 1066, and many castles in Wales, Scotland and Ireland too. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle

Over the next 150 years the Normans built around 1,000 castles in England and Wales. English Heritage: Castles Through Time Britannica says motte-and-bailey castles became the hallmark of the Norman conquest. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle

Castles were something quite new in England. English Heritage: Castles Through Time The chronicler Orderic Vitalis wrote that the fortifications the Normans called castles were scarcely known in the English provinces. English Heritage: Castles Through Time

Castles were often placed inside an existing Saxon settlement, and local people’s homes were destroyed to make room. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

After the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror received the submission of the English at Berkhamsted. His half-brother, Robert of Mortain, built a timber castle there in about 1070. English Heritage: History of Berkhamsted Castle In 1068 William the Conqueror marched north to put down a rebellion and built a series of castles on the way, including one where Clifford’s Tower in York now stands. English Heritage: History of Clifford’s Tower Clifford’s Tower was one of two Norman motte-and-bailey castles built in York in 1068–9. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

Count Brian of Brittany set up a castle at Launceston around 1068. English Heritage: History of Launceston Castle Launceston and Trematon were the only two castles in Cornwall listed in Domesday Book (1086). English Heritage: History of Launceston Castle

At Old Sarum in 1086, William the Conqueror summoned all the major landowners to swear an oath of loyalty to him. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

William the Conqueror began building the White Tower of the Tower of London about 1078. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle By the 12th century, those who could afford it were building stone keeps like the ones William the Conqueror raised at London and Colchester. English Heritage: Castles Through Time

Wales, Scotland and the border

William the Conqueror gave border lands to followers who became powerful marcher lords. English Heritage: History of Clun Castle Clun Castle’s first motte-and-bailey castle was built in the late 11th century, on the Anglo-Welsh border. English Heritage: History of Clun Castle

Cadw says Domen Castell in Welshpool is a strong contender for the castle of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys recorded in 1111, which would make it potentially the first documented native Welsh castle. Cadw: Scheduled monument report, Domen Castell, Welshpool

Wiston first appears in documents in 1147, when the Welsh attacked it. Llywelyn the Great destroyed it in 1220. Cadw: Wiston Castle

Its construction is recorded in 1149, and its destruction in 1157. Cadw: Scheduled monument report, Tomen y Rhodwydd (DE018)

After an uprising by the men of Moray against King David I in 1130, the king sent Freskin north, and Freskin built an earthwork-and-timber castle at Duffus. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle, history and stories Duffus was built about 1150 by Freskin, a Fleming. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle Statement of Significance

The Anarchy, 1135 to 1154

In the 12th century there was another burst of motte-building during the civil war called the Anarchy, when Stephen and Matilda fought for the throne from 1135 to 1154. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight In that war, a timber tower could be taken apart and moved on to the next place, leaving the motte behind. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

From timber to stone

Their weak points: they were easy to attack with fire, and the wood would eventually rot. The National Archives: Medieval castles (education) The National Archives says King William ordered that castles should be built in stone, and many timber castles were replaced with stone ones. The National Archives: Medieval castles (education)

From the late 11th century, motte-and-bailey castles began to be replaced by stone keep castles, which were stronger and less likely to catch fire. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle In England the Normans built stone castles even while they kept using the motte-and-bailey type. Britannica Kids (Students): Castle

New stone castles did not need earth mounds, and stone was seen as more impressive and high-status. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight In most places mottes went out of fashion by 1200, though they were still built in the north into the 1300s. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

In the middle of the 1200s King Henry III decided to build a completely new stone tower on the mound. English Heritage: History of Clifford’s Tower Norham Castle began as a motte-and-bailey castle founded in 1121 by Bishop Flambard, and was rebuilt in stone in about 1157. English Heritage: Norman Castles

In 1216 Prince Louis of France besieged Berkhamsted for two weeks, battering it with huge stones flung from siege weapons. English Heritage: History of Berkhamsted Castle In 1297 the castle was burnt by Edward I of England. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle Statement of Significance

What happened to them

The timber has long since rotted away, and the earth banks have worn down. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight Many later castle sites have a Conquest motte or ringwork hidden somewhere inside them. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight

Some mottes were later reshaped into prospect mounds: picturesque hillocks with a good view over the land. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight Domen Castell’s motte is about 6m high and once held a timber tower or palisade. In the early 1800s its earthworks were adapted to make a bowling green. Cadw: Scheduled monument report, Domen Castell, Welshpool

Duffus was a fortress-residence for more than 500 years, and was abandoned in 1705. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle Duffus was taken into state care in 1925. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle Statement of Significance

For teachers: where this fits

KS2’s Anglo-Saxon and Viking study runs up to Edward the Confessor and his death in 1066. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study In England’s national curriculum, KS2 pupils study an aspect or theme in British history that extends their knowledge beyond 1066. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study

A KS2 local history study can be of a site from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the area. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study

At KS3, pupils study Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066–1509. The Norman Conquest is a non-statutory example. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study KS3 examples also include English campaigns to conquer Wales and Scotland up to 1314, and feudalism. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study

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