What is the oldest motte and bailey castle?
There were motte and bailey castles all over England and along the frontier of Wales. Many of England’s existing castles began as motte and bailey castles. Windsor Castle in Berkshire, started life as a motte and bailey castle.
What was the first motte and bailey castle built?
The first motte-and-bailey castle was built at Vincy, Northern France, in 979. Over the following decades the Dukes of Anjou popularised the design. William the Conqueror (then the Duke of Normandy), observing their success in neighbouring Anjou, began to build them on his Norman lands.
Why were the first castles motte and bailey?
Building motte and bailey castles were an effective way of securing towns that had submitted to his power. Although the wooden structure was much more vulnerable to damage than a stone structure, a motte and bailey castle could be built quickly until the Normans had the time to build more permanent stone structures.
What are the key features of a motte and bailey castle?
The castle is made up of two parts. The motte is a raised mound or earthwork which would have a stone or wooden keep on top. A keep is a kind fortified tower. The bailey is an enclosed courtyard that was protected by a ditch and a palisade – which is a wall made from wooden stakes.
When did the motte and bailey castle come to England?
The Normans from France, introduced the Motte and Bailey castle to England, when they invaded the country in 1066.
How long did it take William of Poitiers to build motte and bailey?
Here he built his third English castle after Pevensey and Hastings. The motte and bailey castle at Dover took just eight days to build – according to William of Poitiers who was William’s chaplain. Was such a feat possible? Building castles then was very labour intensive.
What was the first castle built in England?
The first proper castles built in England were the Motte and Bailey castles. A drawing of the old motte and bailey castle of Tonbridge. The term motte and bailey castle comes from Norman French words for mound and enclosed land. Motte – mound or ‘clod of earth’. Bailey – enclosure.
Where does the term motte and bailey come from?
The term motte-and-bailey is a relatively modern one, and is not medieval in origin. The word “motte” is the French version of the Latin mota, and in France the word motte was initially an early word for a turf; it then became used to refer to a turf bank, and by the 12th century was used to refer to the castle design itself.