The motte-and-bailey shop
Fact-checked printables for KS2 and KS3 classrooms, families and castle visitors, plus a short list of books and kit. Every purchase helps keep this site free.
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Motte & bailey castle printables
Fact-checked PDFs in A4 and US Letter, for KS2 and KS3 classrooms, families and castle visitors.
Motte & Bailey Castles KS2 Topic Pack
Ages 7 to 11, schools and families
Label a motte-and-bailey castle, motte or bailey sorting cards, a build-it-in-order sequencing sheet, a crossword where every answer is a real fact, a word search, a Bayeux-style comic strip, colouring, a certificate and an answer key
Motte & Bailey Castles KS3 Source Study
Ages 11 to 14
Why the Normans built castles after 1066, a primary-source reading of Orderic Vitalis, an evidence table, source-detective tasks on where the sources disagree, a change-and-continuity task from timber to stone, and full answers with sources
Motte & Bailey Castles Family Activity Pack
Families, ages 5 and up
Colouring pages, a castle maze, spot-the-difference, design your own motte-and-bailey castle, Useless the Eraser’s castle jokes and a quiz to do together
Motte & Bailey Castles Spotter’s Field Guide
Adult history fans and castle visitors
How to recognise a motte, a bailey and a ringwork in the landscape; lookalike mounds; how they were built; 15 example sites in England, Wales and Scotland with dates and sizes; and every place where the sources disagree
Motte & Bailey Castle Visit Journal
Castle visitors of all ages
Before-you-go checklist, what-to-spot tick lists for mottes, baileys, ditches and shell-keeps, sketch-the-castle pages, a castle log for up to 12 visits, and a visit stamps page
Motte & Bailey Castles Timeline & Poster Set
Classrooms and home
Six poster pages: a timeline from 10th-century France to 1925, how a motte-and-bailey castle worked, a castle in cross-section, building one in forty days, from timber to stone, and motte-and-bailey castles in numbers
Best valueThe Complete Motte & Bailey Castles Printables Bundle
All six packs plus a bundle guide, A4 and US Letter, in one download. $12.99 instead of $26.44 bought separately.
Free sample
Try before you buy: a free 6-page motte-and-bailey castles printables sample. A4 PDF (247 KB) or US Letter PDF (248 KB).
Books & kit
Affiliate links: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These are Amazon UK search links, not endorsements of particular products. Read reviews and pick what suits you.
Books
- Norman castle books (affiliate link)Look for books that cite their sources.
- Castle books for children (affiliate link)For young readers aged about 7 to 11.
- Bayeux Tapestry books (affiliate link)Many reproduce the whole embroidery scene by scene.
Days out
- Castle guidebooks (affiliate link)Check the edition date; opening details change.
- Compact binoculars (affiliate link)Handy for picking out earthworks across a field.
Modelling
- Castle model kits (affiliate link)Kits vary a lot; check what the box shows.