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Motte & Bailey Castles
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle situated on a raised earthwork
and surrounded by a ditch and protective fence. This was the most
common form of castle in Europe in the 11th century, except in Scandinavia.
Mottes were mounds, some natural, some man made, surmounted by
a tower. Around them was a ditch, sometimes filled with water. For
man-made mottes the earth needed to build it was taken from the
surrounding ditch to create another defensive feature. The closeness
of connection between the mound and the ditch is reflected in their
names: Motte and Moat come from the same medieval
root.
The bailey was an outer enclosure, which was also defended by a
fence and sometimes a ditch, providing a first, outer line of defence
for the motte.
Motte and Bailey castles were built in Britain, Ireland and France
in the 11th and 12th centuries. They were relatively cheap but effective
defensive fortification that could repel small attacks.
The motte and bailey remained the dominant form of castle in England,
Wales, and Ireland well into the 12th century. At the same time,
castle architecture in mainland Europe became more sophisticated.
Motte & Bailey at Gisors, France |
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A Classic Motte & Bailey |
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The Motte at Windsor Castle (with a later keep) |
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The Motte
A motte is a mound, either natural or artificial, topped with a
tower known as a keep. The earth for an artificial mound would be
taken from a ditch, dug around the motte or around the whole castle.
The outer surface of the mound could be covered with clay or strengthened
with wooden supports.
Most early mottes were topped with wooden structures, which could
be built with readily available materials and without highly skilled
labour. Many such structures were later replaced with stone keeps.
There are two surviving examples of castles with two mottes, one
is Lewes Castle and the other Lincoln Castle.
A stylised geometrical representation
of a Motte & Bailey created on a flat plain - as at
Norwich |
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A Classic Motte & Keep at Cardiff Castle
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Motte crowned with stone shell-keep and multi-angular
keep, Gisors, France
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The Bailey
A bailey is an enclosed courtyard, typically surrounded by a wooden
palisade overlooked by the motte. It was used as a living area by
vassals who served the lord of the castle, generally including a
blacksmith, a miller and most of the necessary craftsmen of the
age.
A castle could have more than one bailey, sometimes an inner and
an outer, such as at Warkworth Castle, where expansion of the castle
led to enclosure of a new bailey with a wall. Alternatively, the
multiple baileys could flank the motte, as at Windsor Castle.
The bailey was often enclosed inside another wooden palisade and
surrounding ditch, adding an extra layer of protection. It was connected
to the motte by a timber drawbridge, which could be separated from
the bailey as a last defence mechanism.
There was in many cases another drawbridge at the entrance into
the bailey that could similarly be raised for protection. The bailey
would typically contain a hall, stables for the horses and cattle,
a chapel, and huts for the nobleman's people. There were often shops
inside the bailey for local merchants.
Motte and bailey castles later evolved into Norman castles that
evolved later into even better Concentric castles. Indeed the concentric
design is already latent here, with the keep involving into an inner
castle and the bailey an outer castle.
Originally a bailey was controlled by an officer called a bailiff.
In time his jurisdiction came to known as a bailiwick.
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At the heart of Windsor Castle lies a motte
surmounted by a circular keep. The wards to right and left replace
earlier baileys |
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Model of the original Motte & Bailey
on the site of Bedford Castle |
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Examples of Motte & Bailey Castles
Arundel
Castle
Cardiff
Castle
Walkworth
Castle
Windsor
Castle
Other types of
Castle ...
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Arundel Castle, dating from 1067 |
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Photos of Motte & Bailey Castles
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Windsor Castle still has its Norman Motte
at its heart
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Windsor Castle still has its Norman Motte
at its heart
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A motte and bailey castle with outer baileys
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The vestiges of the keep of Wiston Castle
on its motte
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Clifford's Tower in York was originally the
keep of a castle
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Warkworth Castle on its motte
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Cardiff Castle on its motte
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Clifford's Tower in York was originally the
keep of a castle
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A pre-Norman wooden motte & bailey castle
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Arundel Castle: the keep on its motte
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Arundel Castle: the keep on its motte
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Arundel Castle: the keep on its motte
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Cardiff Castle
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Château de Najac or the royal fortress
of Najac is located in Najac, in the Aveyron département,
France. the castle sits within an innier bailey.
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Fortaleza de Gormaz or Castillo de Gormaz
(The castle of Gormaz), Castile and León, Spain. The
bailey is a feature of many later castles. Here it iis clearly
visible from the air.
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More on Types of Castle and History of Castles
Click on any of the following links to learn more about specific
types of castle
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Dover Castle, Kent, England
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Matsumoto Castle, ("Crow Castle"),
Matsumoto,, Nagano Prefecture near Tokyo.
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Château de Sceaux, Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine,France
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Alcazar Castle, Segovia,Spain
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