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  • Episodes
    Episode Index
    Key Dates Timelines
    By Category
    This day in history
  • People
    A..Z List of Medieval People
    Kings and Queens of England Kings of Scotland Kings of France Kings of Denmark Emporers of Byzantine Popes and Antipopes Crusader States and their Rulers
    Family Trees
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    Life in Medieval Times
    Life in a Castle The Feudal System Country Life and Agriculture Life in a Medieval Town Life in a Religious Community
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    Castle Index Page Castle Development
    Early Fortifications Motte and bailey Castles Square Keeps Castle of William the Conqueror Concentric Castles Castles of Edward I
    Castle Siege Tactics Parts of a Castle
    Locations of over 300 Castles
  • Places
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    Etal Castle Skenfrith Castle Middleham Castle
    Knights Training
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Motte and Bailey Castles

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he Norman Conquerors built their castles in locations where they could keep control of the local populations of Saxons or at important locations such as river crossings or on key roads. Many motte and bailey castles were built on the border with Wales to try and keep the Welsh at bay. The advantage of this type of castle was that it was quick to construct and could be built within a matter of several weeks and making a fortification from wood was much easier than making one of stone. Speed of construction was critical as the Normans needed somewhere that they could defend against attacks from the Welsh.

Key features

  • Norman Castles - during and after the Norman Invasion
  • Central wooden tower or stronghold (keep) raised on mound (motte)
  • Dry or wet ditch around motte
  • Outer court (bailey) surrounded by wooden palisade and dry or wet ditch
  • Rapid construction - several weeks

 

During the early part of the Norman invasion, the designers of these early castles built wooden towers on the top of a mound for protection. They either used an existing mound where one was available, enlarged an existing natural hill or more usually built their own mound on which they then constructed the tower or keep. At the top of the mound, around its edge, they built a wooden wall or palisade. The mound, now known as a motte, was usually surrounded by a ditch which in some cases could be filled with water. At the foot of the motte was built a normally oval-shaped enclosure known as a bailey that had a palisade and a ditch of its own. The motte was usually placed to one side of the bailey rather than in the centre. Some castles had more than one bailey. An example of this type can be seen at Windsor which has the motte at the centre of two large baileys.

The arrangment of the motte and baileys was dictated by the conditions of the ground on which they were built. Although many of these castles had the motte at the edge of the bailey, some had the motte within the baliey. An example of this is at Skenfrith Castle in Wales. Where there was more than one bailey, the baileys could be arranged in a line to one side of the motte, or, as at Windsor, opposite each other with the motte at the centre.

Explore a VR/3D motte and bailey castle
Click image to explore the castle

 

Two Mottes

Some motte and bailey castles had two mottes. Examples include Lincoln Castle and Lewes Castle.

 

Under Attack

When the area around a castle was under attack, the local inhabitants could retreat first to the bailey and then to the motte if the attackers managed to enter the castle. From the top of the motte the defenders could throw missiles at their attackers and defend or even destroy the narrow bridge that linked the bailey to the motte.

Layout

 

An example plan of a motte and bailey castle. The Motte is the circular structure on the left. There are two baileys shown on the plan, an inner and outer bailey. The lines on the plan show how the ground rises and falls. The thicker end of each line indicates a high point and the thinner end indicates a low point. The remains of many motte and bailey castles can be found all over England. They can be located by looking for the ditches and banks that have survived for hundreds of years. The wooden palisades have long since rotted away but it is possible to guess how the castle may have looked in Norman times.

 

 

This video shows the motte and bailey reconstruction that you can explore either on a PC/laptop or mobile device.

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Motte and Bailey Castles (1066 - 1100)

Castle Name Date Location/Notes
Berkhampstead CastleSoon after 1066Hertfordshire
Cambridge Castle1068Cambridgeshire
Caerleon Castle Monmouthshire, Wales
Clare CastleSoon after 1066Suffolk
Lewes CastleSoon after 1066Sussex/Two mottes
Lincoln Castle1068Lincolnshire
Ongar Castle Essex
Oxford Castle Oxfordshire
Pleshey Castle Essex
Shrewsbury Castle1069Shropshire
Thetford Castle Norfolk
Warwick Castle1068Warwickshire
York Castle1068Yorkshire/Two castles built
Explore a VR/3D motte and bailey castle
Click image to explore the castle

More castle pages

  • Castle Index Page
  • Why build and live in castles
  • Castle development timeline

Pages in this section

  • Introduction and simple keep example
  • Tower of London plans and 3d model
  • Middleham Castle floor plans
  • Hedingham Castle floor plans
  • Dover Castle floor plans
  • Timeline of Square Keep construction
  • Explore 3d reconstructions

Types of castles

  • Early Fortifications
  • Castles of William the Conqueror
  • Keep and bailey castles
  • Motte and bailey castles
  • Square keeps
  • Shell-Keeps
  • Polygonal Keeps
  • Concentric Castles

Other details

  • Castles of Edward I
  • Medieval Castle Builders
  • Medieval Siege Tactics
  • The Trebuchet
  • Siege Towers
  • Parts of a castle
  • Location of 300+ UK castles
  • Location by UK county

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