The Motte and Bailey Castle
Click image to enlarge
- Norman Castles - during and after 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
 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. Making a fortification from wood was much easier than making one of
stone.
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 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 build 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.
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.
A section of the Bayeux Tapestry shows what appears to be a motte being built and the workers constructing it.
There are the remains of many motte and bailey castles, including those at Oxford, Berkhampstead, Wallingford
and Thetford.
 elow is 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.
Motte and Bailey Castles (1066 - 1100)
| Castle Name |
Date |
Location |
Notes |
On this site |
| Berkhampstead Castle | Soon after 1066 | Hertfordshire | | |
| Cambridge Castle | 1068 | Cambridgeshire | | |
| Caerleon Castle | | Monmouthshire, Wales | | |
| Clare Castle | Soon after 1066 | Suffolk | |
| Lewes Castle | Soon after 1066 | Sussex | Two mottes | |
| Lincoln Castle | 1068 | Lincolnshire | | |
| Ongar Castle | | Essex | | |
| Oxford Castle | | Oxfordshire | | |
| Pleshey Castle | | Essex | | |
| Shrewsbury Castle | 1069 | Shropshire | | |
| Thetford Castle | | Norfolk | | |
| Warwick Castle | 1068 | Warwickshire | | |
| York Castle | 1068 | Yorkshire | Two castles built | |
|
StumbleUpon