There are a number of different types of Castle. This page outlines very briefly the basics behind the development of the Castle. Use the links to different parts of the Castles section to see more detailed descriptions.
When the Normans invaded England one of the first things they did was build a castle. This wasn’t a new idea, far from it, fortifications in Britain had existed prior to the Roman invasion a thousand years previously. Castles as we know them were a new form of fortification. These were brought to England by the Normans – note that there were some built by Normans in England before 1066. The pace at which Castle building developed as a result of the conquest was breathtaking and the result was a series of apparently impregnable defensive structures spread around the country.
Castles
Motte and Bailey Castles
The earliest form of Norman Castle in England was the Motte and Bailey castle. This simple construction of earth and wood could be built in just a few weeks: although many of them were later transformed into stone keeps.
Stone Keep Castles
From these humble origins the Castle quickly began to take new forms in England. The Stone keep, such as the White Tower (Tower of London) replaced the Motte and Bailey as the favoured structure. Below is a photograph of the Stone Keep at Porchester Castle. This is a square based stone keep built into the corner of existing fortifications. Here, the stone keep was protected on two sides by a moat with the main entrance to the building being from within a reenforced compound which had sea defences to two sides.
The high walls of a Stone Keep made scaling the battlements incredibly difficult. The walls were very thick and so were hard to knock down with battering rams. Soon though even this structure was deemed unsatisfactory as methods of laying siege developed which made a Stone Keep Castle vulnerable to attack.
A new, more advanced method of defending oneself was required. The answer came in the shape of the Concentric Castle.
Concentric Castles
The Concentric Castle takes a variety of shapes. Basically it was a method of making sure that the attacker could be seen by as many defenders as possible: with the defenders as well hidden as possible. Circular towers and maze like inner wards made attacking these constructions very dangerous, for once within the walls the attacking warrior would inevitably be faced with yet more walls, more towers and numerous death holes. Classic examples of the Concentric Castle are Caerphilly Castle and Beaumaris Castle, both built by the English in Wales. These castles still remained in use throughout the Civil War, and compare favourably with contemporary defensive structures.
Castles – Pre-Norman Fortifications – Motte and Bailey Castles – Stone Keep Castles – Concentric Castles
British History – The Normans – The Plantagenets – The Tudors – Elizabethan England – British Civil Wars