| When the words “Medieval
castle” are spoken, certain images instantly jump
to the forefront of one’s mind. Most involve giant
stonewalls with archers behind a stone wall and trebuchets
on large towers, while a giant army that seems to stretch
on forever attacks seemingly impervious walls. Contrary
to this popular daydream image, however, castles were
not continuously in a state of siege. In times of peace,
the castle would contain the owner's family and servants.
The castle would be guarded only during wartime. Once
the crisis passed, the garrison would revert to being
farmers and peasant laborers once again.
While the Romans did build some
impressive forts, the earliest concentration to build
castles in Europe came after William the Conqueror and
his army conquered England in 1066. Immediately after
the Battle of Hastings, William ordered castles built
at Warwick, Nottingham, York , Lincoln, Cambridge and
Huntingdon. These castles had very little to do with
tall walls of stone, however. The first Norman castles
were hurriedly constructed from earth and timber, and
most conformed to a basic plan: the motte and bailey.
The motte was a large conical
mound with a flat top. Wherever possible, use was made
of natural hillocks or rock outcroppings, but most mottes
were raised by digging a deep ditch around the site
and heaping up the soil. Often more material was needed
to produce the required size and height of a mound and
this was obtained elsewhere. Both mound and enclosure
were defended by the ditch and a dirt bank behind the
ditch, topped with a timber stockade. Sometimes the
ditches were filled with water, and in some instances
had a raised bank in front, as well as behind. When
possible, hedges of thorns and briars would be planted
to add yet another natural wall of defense.
Within the stockade of the mound, there would be a timber
tower. Tower and motte formed the strongpoint of the
castle: the very last defense if attackers managed to
overrun the bailey. The tower was also the residence
of the castle's owner and had to be large enough to
contain his family and their servants. The entrance
to the bailey was through a strongly defended gate,
usually at the end of a bridge that ran over a ditch.
 The main advantage of motte and bailey castles were
that they were quick and cheap to erect. Despite how
primitive it seems, such a castle was a formidable obstacle
to attackers equipped with the weapons of the period.
Mottes ranged from 25-30 feet to over 80 feet in height,
with the timber tower giving the defenders a further
advantage. The bailey could cover anywhere from one
to three acres. It was usually designed so that any
point on its circumference would be within bowshot of
the tower. They may pale to the larger castles that
would follow made of stone and brick, but an attacking
army would not be laughing at the motte and bailey,
nor the terrible battle they faced ahead.
Picture courtesy of www.carolyn.topmum.net/tutbury/castle/castle.htm
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