Restormel Castle in Cornwall. Image Source: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/41471915
Motte-And-Bailey Castles
![Picture](/uploads/2/4/3/8/24389396/5630377.jpg)
Developed in the tenth-twelfth centuries, motte-and-bailey constructions are the forebears of the medieval castle. A fortified structure, most likely built of timber, would be built upon a motte, which is a raised section of earth.[1] This could be man-made or naturally-occurring.[2] These were typically six to fifteen metres in height. If these structures were man-made, architects would alternate layers of different substances, such as clay and peat, to ensure stability. Surrounding this motte would be a ditch, typically filled with water. This is reminiscent of the moats we understand to surround castles now.[3]
Atop the motte stood a wooden tower, allowing guards to observe the surrounding area.[4] This was strategic for defense, allowing a lord to protect his property. Further, this wooden tower had a door that was only accessible by a ladder or wooden bridge. This prevented unwanted visitors from entering the structure and disrupting the lord’s hold over his land.[5]
Below the motte would be a bailey, which was an open space designed to protect outbuildings, such as residences, kitchens, and artisans’ shops. Both the motte and the bailey below would be surrounded by a timber fence and a ditch. Because these early structures were built almost entirely of timber, none of them remain. Arguably, they would not have been as strong of a defense for lords as later castle technologies.[6]
However, the motte-and-bailey technology did provide a power dynamic between the lord and his people. By having the lord’s residence raised about the commoners, it displayed his power over his servants.[7] This is the beginning of the power of the castle that we know today, the idea of the castle as the home of the omnipotent ruler.
In spite of the power that the motte-and-bailey gave a landowner, the delicate nature of these materials prevented any of these structures from surviving until our current age. The only remaining evidence of how they may have been is in what is known as the stone shell keep.
The designs of stone shell keeps were heavily influenced by the motte-and-bailey and because they were built with stone, many dot the landscape in Britain, Scotland, and Wales. One example, Restormel Castle in Cornwall, can be seen above.[8]Just like early motte-and-bailey castles, the structure of the stone keep was constructed entirely of wood in the early twelfth century with a stone curtain wall 2.5 m thick being added in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Restormel Castle also provides an excellent example of a dry moat, explained in more detail here.[9]
[1] "Types of Castles," All Things Medieval, accessed 24 October 2013, http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/essays/the-types-of-castles.htm; David Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," Britain Express, accessed 24 October 2013, http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
[2] Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe: An Illustrated History (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc), 29, http://do.rulitru.ru/docs/16/15655/conv_1/file1.pdf.
[3] . Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 30.
[4] . Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 31.
[5] . Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 32.
[6] "Types of Castles," http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/essays/the-types-of-castles.htm; Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
[7] Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 34.
[8] "Types of Castles," http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/essays/the-types-of-castles.htm; Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
[9] Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
Atop the motte stood a wooden tower, allowing guards to observe the surrounding area.[4] This was strategic for defense, allowing a lord to protect his property. Further, this wooden tower had a door that was only accessible by a ladder or wooden bridge. This prevented unwanted visitors from entering the structure and disrupting the lord’s hold over his land.[5]
Below the motte would be a bailey, which was an open space designed to protect outbuildings, such as residences, kitchens, and artisans’ shops. Both the motte and the bailey below would be surrounded by a timber fence and a ditch. Because these early structures were built almost entirely of timber, none of them remain. Arguably, they would not have been as strong of a defense for lords as later castle technologies.[6]
However, the motte-and-bailey technology did provide a power dynamic between the lord and his people. By having the lord’s residence raised about the commoners, it displayed his power over his servants.[7] This is the beginning of the power of the castle that we know today, the idea of the castle as the home of the omnipotent ruler.
In spite of the power that the motte-and-bailey gave a landowner, the delicate nature of these materials prevented any of these structures from surviving until our current age. The only remaining evidence of how they may have been is in what is known as the stone shell keep.
The designs of stone shell keeps were heavily influenced by the motte-and-bailey and because they were built with stone, many dot the landscape in Britain, Scotland, and Wales. One example, Restormel Castle in Cornwall, can be seen above.[8]Just like early motte-and-bailey castles, the structure of the stone keep was constructed entirely of wood in the early twelfth century with a stone curtain wall 2.5 m thick being added in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Restormel Castle also provides an excellent example of a dry moat, explained in more detail here.[9]
[1] "Types of Castles," All Things Medieval, accessed 24 October 2013, http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/essays/the-types-of-castles.htm; David Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," Britain Express, accessed 24 October 2013, http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
[2] Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe: An Illustrated History (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc), 29, http://do.rulitru.ru/docs/16/15655/conv_1/file1.pdf.
[3] . Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 30.
[4] . Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 31.
[5] . Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 32.
[6] "Types of Castles," http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/essays/the-types-of-castles.htm; Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
[7] Lepage, Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe, 34.
[8] "Types of Castles," http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/essays/the-types-of-castles.htm; Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.
[9] Ross, "Castles in England in Wales," http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/castles/Restormel.htm.