Norman Conquest- Castles Flashcards
(29 cards)
What were Burh-Geats?
Built by thegns- smaller defended sites
Give two things we know about Burh-Geats
Some Burh Geats had impressive gatehouses
The burh geat enclosed an oval area about the size of a football pitch
Why were castles so important for William?
They helped him to secure south-east England and capture London
What were three of the key castles?
Pevensey- When William landed in Pevensey in 1066, one of the first things he did was build a castle
Hastings - The Normans used the remains of an Iron Age fort as the basis of their castle
London- When William captured London, he immediately built a castle here
What was a ringwork?
Enclosures, ringwork castles had a ditch surrounding an enclosure. The earth from the ditch was made into a bank, which was topped with a palisade
Give three reasons as to why Norman castles were unpopular with the English
The castles were a visible symbol of Norman rule
The English were often forced to build the castles
William raised taxes to pay for, the castles
How wide was the York motte?
60 meters
What is a rampart?
Earth banks which could be several meters high
What is a palisade?
A tall wooden fence on top of the ramparts
What is a bailey?
An enclosure inside the ramparts, usually smaller than the enclosures in the Saxon burh-geats
What is a gatehouse?
A fortified entrance to the Bailey
What is a motte?
A mound inside the bailey which was several metres high
Which lords were in charge of southern England and what events were held here?
The sussex barons were in charge of southern england. Sussex was divided between six barons, who each built a castle. These castles protected the roads between London and Normandy
How many castles had William built by 1071?
35
How did Barons and Knights control the land that was given to them?
The built castles, they were built in the countryside and used to settle and manage land as well as for military purposes
What were most of the early castles like?
They were timber motte and bailey castles
How were the castles built by the Normans different from Saxon defences?
The Saxon castles were smaller, designed to house a small number of soldiers, whereas the Norman castles were taller and dominated the landscape
Did the design of Norman castles vary across the country?
Yes
Give an example of a place where a ringworks were used instead of mottes?
Pevensey
Give an example of an existing Norman stone structure
At Exeter there is a Norman gatehouse
- The gatehouse faces into the city and incorporates some features of Anglo-Saxon design
- The gatehouse originally had large wooden doors. Some historians think that this shows that the gatehouse was a status symbol, not a defensive structure
How do we know about the layout of Norman earthwork castles?
Aerial photographs and ground surveys
What were motte castles built from
Mottes were built from soil from a ditch, or used hills or ancient burial mounds. The shape of the motte varied. The motte was surrounded with one or two baileys
What were some of the patterns that archaeologists discovered when investigating Norman castles?
In the 1980s, archaeologists started to study the areas around Norman castles.
They found out that most castles were at the centre of the lord’s estate, and were used for admin.
These castles were often near a Saxon settlement or church, or on the site of a burh-geat.
We also know that Norman lords often altered the landscape to make it more impressive, building monasteries, diverting roads etc
Give an example of an archaeological dig
At Hen Domen on the Welsh Border from 1960 to 1992.
The excavation told us that there was a large tower, which would have given a good view over the roads and river crossing.
There were double ramparts and deep ditches
Very few valuable items were discovered, suggesting it was occupied by soldiers
