The castle was a special kind of manor holding. Usually castles
could only be built by the approval of the king, who wanted to ensure
that any good fortified castle was in the hands of someone he could
trust. In times of anarchy there was generally an outbreak of illegal
castle building and fortification.
Idealized Norman castle
The Norman conquerors developed castle building into a fine art. They
had to; it was such a turbulent and insecure period that defence was
a necessity of life. When most people think of castles they tend to
picture a massive stone structure, but before 1100 castles were primarily
thatched wooden buildings on the motte and bailey plan.
Motte and Bailey Castles. The castle was built on top of a large
artificial or natural mound (the motte), surrounded by a deep ditch.
Around this was an area of land called the bailey. Inside the bailey
were various buildings for the people who lived and worked in the castle,
including stables, storehouses, bakeries, kitchens, cottages, and quarters
for soldiers. The bailey was surrounded by a wooden palisade and an
outer ditch, or fosse. Sometimes the fosse was filled with water diverted
from a nearby stream. There are no good examples of these early motte
and bailey castles remaining. Most were rebuilt in the early and mid
12th century as stone donjons, or keeps.
Early Keeps. Shell keeps, of which
few survive, were set on artificial or natural mounds. Stone walls 8-10
feet thick and 20-25 feet high enclosed a circular or polygonal area
of 40-100 feet in diameter. Within the walls residential buildings in
stone and possibly wood were built. A stronger design was the square
or rectangular Norman keep which developed mainly in the middle and
late 12th century. These immensely strong keeps were too heavy for artificial
mounds and had to be built on natural high points. The keep walls were
20 feet thick at the base, rising to over 100 feet in height. Bedchambers,
garderobes (latrines), and passages were built inside the thickness
of the walls. Corner turrets provided an unobstructed line of sight
along each wall.
Keep Design. The basement of the keep
was used for storage, and possibly dungeons,
although the dungeons might be on a separate, deeper level. The ground
floor was the domain of soldiers and servants. The first floor contained
the great hall, the centre of life in the castle.
The second floor housed the lord and his family, and often contained
a chapel built into the wall. The roof above boasted the kitchens and
ovens. In times of war these could be easily converted to heat up oil,
water, burning brands, or sand to hurl at enemies. Sand? Yes, sand.
When hot sand was poured on enemies attempting to scale the walls it
got into their armour and caused severe discomfort and itching.
An outer defensive wall surrounded the keep. The main doorway was protected
by a second tower or set of towers. This gatehouse or barbican
was pierced by a portcullis of iron and wood
which could be raised or lowered on heavy chains. A ditch might surround
the whole keep.
Edwardian Castles. The keeps
were ideal for the time in which they were built, but by the middle
of the 13th century needs had changed. A base that could be used for
offensive operations rather than as a purely defensive stronghold was
needed. So the keep was discarded in favour of a concentric design.
These castles are often called "Edwardian" after Edward
I, who perfected the style in the castles he built in Scotland and
Wales.
Concentric Design. Concentric
castles have no central strong point like a keep. Instead they rely
on rings of walls, one inside the other, with towers along the length
of the walls. Most Edwardian castles have three concentric rings of
walls and towers. The central space was kept as an open courtyard around
which were clustered separate domestic buildings. The outer wall was
ringed by a moat with access over a draw
bridge through a separate gatehouse or barbican. Several Norman keeps
were converted into concentric castles. The central keep was retained
for accommodation.
Palaces and Manors. Defensive
needs declined in after the 14th century, and the invention of canons
made castles less easy to defend in any case. Attention shifted from
defence to comfort and accommodation. Large castles became palaces,
and smaller ones became fortified manor houses.
Living Conditions. Meals in the
castle were held in the great hall, on long trestle tables. The lord's
table was raised on a dais at one end of the hall. At the other tables
guests were arranged by social standing. The lower classes were seated
on the far side of the salt cellar ("below the salt"). Diners
were often entertained by musicians seated in a gallery, or loft, overlooking
the hall. Other entertainers were jugglers, acrobats, and troubadours.
Troubadours might be retained by the lord,
or they could be traveling musicians, spreading news and gossip as they
travelled through the country. Their repertoire consisted of "chansons
de geste", or songs of deeds, and "chansons d'amour",
or songs of love.
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