My last post on motte and bailey castles

Castles in England after 1066

The Norman castles building program started soon after the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

Carpenters and builders formed part of the 1066 Norman Invasion fleet

Speed was of the essence to these plans. To achieve his plans parts to make the Norman wooden castles were pre-built.

The timbers for the Pre-Built Norman castles were cut to the correct sizes

Bolts were made in various sizes and used to fit the castle timbers together

These ' quick assembly Norman castle kits ' were loaded on the Norman Invasion Fleet

The Bayeux Tapestry illustrates the process of building Norman pre-built timber castles!

England after 1066

In England, William invaded from Normandy in 1066, resulting in three phases of castle building in England, around 80% of which were in the motte-and-bailey pattern.

The first of these was the establishment by the new king of royal castles in key strategic locations, including many towns.

These urban castles could make use of the existing town's walls and fortification, but typically required the demolition of local houses to make space for them.

This could cause extensive damage: records suggest that in Lincoln 166 houses were destroyed, with 113 in Norwich and 27 in Cambridge.

The second and third waves of castle building in the late-11th century were led by the major magnates and then the more junior knights on their new estates.

Some regional patterns in castle building can be seen – relatively few castles were built in East Anglia compared to the west of England or the Marches, for example; this was probably due to the relatively settled and prosperous nature of the east of England and reflected a shortage of unfree labour for constructing mottes.

WALES

In Wales, the first wave of the Norman castles were again predominantly made of wood in a mixture of motte-and-bailey and ringwork designs. The Norman invaders spread up the valleys, using this form of castle to occupy their new territories.

After the Norman conquest of England and Wales, the building of motte-and-bailey castles in Normandy accelerated as well, resulting in a broad swath of these castles across the Norman territories, around 741 motte-and-bailey castles in England and Wales alone.

The Norman expansion into Wales slowed in the 12th century but remained an ongoing threat to the remaining native rulers. In response, the Welsh princes and lords began to build their own castles, frequently motte-and-bailey designs, usually in wood.

There are indications that this may have begun from 1111 onwards under Prince Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, with the first documentary evidence of a native Welsh castle being at Cymmer in 1116.

These timber castles, including Tomen y Rhodywdd, Tomen y Faerdre, Gaer Penrhôs, were of equivalent quality to the equivalent Norman fortifications in the area, and it can prove difficult to distinguish the builders of some sites from the archaeological evidence alone.

SCOTLAND

Motte-and-bailey castles in Scotland emerged as a consequence of the centralising of royal authority in the 12th century. David I encouraged Norman and French nobles to settle in Scotland, introducing a feudal mode of landholding and the use of castles as a way of controlling the contested lowlands.

The quasi-independent polity of Galloway, which had resisted the rule of David and his predecessors, was a particular focus for this colonisation. The size of these Scottish castles, primarily wooden motte and bailey constructions, varied considerably, from larger designs such as the Bass of Inverurie to smaller castles like Balmaclellan.

IRELAND

motte-and-bailey castles were introduced to Ireland following the Norman invasion of Ireland that began between 1166 and 1171 under first Richard de Clare and then Henry II of England, with the occupation of southern and eastern Ireland by a number of Anglo-Norman barons.

The rapid Norman success depended on key economic and military advantages; their cavalry enabled Norman successes in battles, and castles enabled them to control the newly conquered territories.

The new lords rapidly built castles to protect their possessions; most of these were motte-and-bailey constructions, many of them strongly defended.

Unlike Wales, the indigenous Irish lords do not appear to have constructed their own castles in any significant number during the period.

Between 350 and 450 motte-and-bailey castles are believed to remain today, although the identification of these earthwork remains can be contentious.

Motte And Bailey Castles Outside of Northern Europe.

A small number of motte-and-bailey castles were built outside of northern Europe.

In the late-12th century, the Normans invaded southern Italy and Sicily; although they had the technology to build more modern designs, in many cases wooden motte-and-bailey castles were built instead for reasons of speed.

The Italians came to refer to a range of different castle types as motta, however, and there may not have been as many genuine motte-and-bailey castles in southern Italy as was once thought on the basis of the documentary evidence alone.

In addition, there is evidence of the Norman crusaders building a motte and bailey using sand and wood in Egypt in 1221 during the Fifth Crusade.