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- Norman Castles - after Norman Conquest
- Central stronghold (keep) raised on mound (motte)
- Extra ditches around motte
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During the early part of the Norman invasion, the designers of these early castles built their keeps on
top of a mound for added protection. They either used an existing mound
or built their own mound on which they then constructed the keep. The mound, now known
as a motte, was usually placed to one side of the bailey rather than in the
centre. A ditch was dug around the bottom of the motte so that access to the keep
was restricted. A section of the Bayeux Tapestry shows what appears to be a
motte being built and the workers constructing it. A wooden palisade was built on the top of the motte as
the first line of defence. This may be all that was used in some castles, but in others
a wooden tower was built in the centre of the motte. Some castles had more than one bailey, and an example
of this type can be seen at Windsor which has the motte at the centre of two large baileys.
When the area around the 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.
There are the remains of many motte and
bailey castles, including those at Oxford, Berkhampstead, Wallingford and Thetford.
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