"The forts called castles by the Normans, were hardly
known in England and so the English couldn't put up much
of a struggle against their enemies."

WRITTEN BY OREDERIC VITALIS IN 1141.

By about 1071, King William's control of England was
fairly secure. he had built castles throughout the
country and garrisoned them with Norman soldiers.


"In his castles William put loyal guards whom he had
brought over from France, together with many horses and
foot soldiers. He gave them land and in return they
served him."

WRITTEN BY WILLIAM OF POITIERS.


As early as 1067, William had started to rebuild his
motte and bailey castles in stone.

He brought Bishop Gundulf, a skilled builder, over from
Normandy to work on the Tower of London.

The KEEP in the Tower of London was one of the first
and biggest to be built in England. Its walls were
nearly 5 metres thick at its base and it was 30 metres 
high.

Over the years, many new and different castles were
built. Each one different and each one taking
advantage of the latest military techniques.

MOATS - these prevented mining of a castle by
an enemy, because a mine under the moat would flood.
Moats also prevented ladders and siege towers getting
near the walls.

Putting shutters into the CRENELLATIONS and making
windows narrower, made it more difficult for the
enemy to shoot those in the castle.

ROUND TOWERS - missiles thrown at them glanced of and
they were more difficult to mine than square towers.

Castle GATEHOUSES were the most vulnerable part of any
castle. They were heavily defended and often had a
portcullis and MURDER HOLES just inside the gate (arrows
could be fired down on the attackers and stones thrown and
disgusting liquids poured !).

Between 1277 and 1295, King Edward I built ten new castles
in Wales. They were the strongest and most expensive
castles in the country.
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CASTLE TRIVIA
=============

Castle defences - high walls and strong towers, built on a
high or defensible spot, were the secret of a castles defences.

Surprise attacks on castles were unusual - the defenders usually had
time to prepare for an attack.

Castle walls were usually more than 8 feet thick.

Crenels - the gaps between the raised stonework on the top of the walls.

If, during an attack or a siege, food was in danger of running out,
women, children and non-combatants would be put out of the castle.

e.g. 1346, the Siege of Calais, the defenders put out the sick and
injured. The attackers would not let them pass and many of them
starved to death. Those who did not were reduced to eating dogs and rats.

Castle roofs were made of materials that would not burn. e.g. lead.

Portcullis - oak and metal grille that could be lowered to protect the 
castle entrance.

Trebuchet - rather like a catapult, it was used to fire the bodies
of dead animals (bringing disease) or pots of lime (which burned
the skin) into a castle during an attack or siege. Have a look at
the PAINT file called HDS and HDS1 - this shows attackers catapulting
severed human heads into a castle.

Mantlet - a portable wooden barrier that gave shelter and protection
to archers near the castle walls.

Mangonel - this catapulted objects low against the castle walls.

Mining - during a siege, soldiers might dig a mine under the castle walls,
making them collapse.

Cat, rat or tortoise - a wheeled shelter that soldiers could use to get
near the castle walls (rather like a shed on wheels).

The belfry or bell tower - a tower used during a siege. The tower was tall
enough to look over castle walls.

e.g. at the siege of Kenilworth castle in 1266, 200 archers and 11
catapults were in just one belfry.

Nobleman captured in battle were not treated badly - they were looked
after in the castle and a ransom demanded for their release.

Feudalism - the lord of the castle did not 'own' his castle or land.
He earned the right to use the land and build his castle on it
by swearing an oath of loyalty to a baron or to the king. The lord
promised to fight for the king if the king needed him in wartime.
The people on the lord's land paid him a fee or a fine or worked
on his land. In return the lord protected them.

Murder holes - found in gateways. Through them soldiers could
fire arrows or throw stones and gunge at the enemy soldiers below.

Constable - he ran the castle when the lord was absent.

Toilets/latrines/garderobes - hay was used as toilet paper.
It was the job of the 'gong farmer' to clean out the latrines -
smelly and unhealthy ! During one siege at a castle in France
in 1204, the enemy got into the castle by climbing up the
toilet shaft/chimney.

Oubliette - a cell within a cell. Found at the back of a dungeon
or cell. Takes its name from the French word oublier - to forget.
Prisoners could be pushed in there and forgotten.

Dungeons - a lot of the time dungeons were used to store food
and supplies.

Tapestries were hung over doors to keep out draughts.

Making bate - "Tannery workers softened animal skins by soaking them
in bate. This was water mixed with dog excrement from the castle kennels.
After putting this mixture in a tub, a barefoot workman climbed in and
trampled it to a pulp."

The castle cellar housed court documents.

Chandler - made candles for lighting the castle.

Atilliator - crossbow maker.

Ale conner - tested beer for its purity. He would pour some ale onto
a wooden bench and sit on it for half an hour. If at the end of
this his trousers stuck to the bench, the beer was of poor
quality - it had too much suger in it.

Heads - the heads of traitors were displayed from the battlements
of a castle. They were lighlty boiled, before being treated with
tar to preserve them.

For more details get a hold of STEPHEN BIESTEY'S CROSS-SECTIONS
CASTLE. 
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