Castles Project
Content
Motte and Bailey Castles
Strengths
Weaknesses
Cheap
Made with wood which meant
that they could be burned or
chopped down
Quick and easy
to make
Could be easily penetrated
from all sides
11th Century
Timber Tower on
Motte
Hal
l
Motte
Stone-built
Chamber block
Water-filled
ditches
Water-filled ditches could be
easily crossed.
Motte and Bailey Castles were
designed in the 11th century by
William the Conqueror to
control villages and protect his
men from any rebellious
villains or peasants. He needed
to make castles quickly as he
didn't have much time so he
started constructing Motte and
Baileys
Defen all over the country
because
they didn't need the
ce
two
things that William didn't
rating
Baile
y
Detached
Kitchen
Stables and
Barns
Chapel
Timber
stockade on
earth bank
Stone gate
tower
Stone/Square Keep Castles
12th Century
Keep
Bailey
Square
Towers
Great
Hall
s
s
s
s
Ston
e
walls
Drawbridg
e
Moat
Barbican
Strengths
This castle began when lords with time, money and a
suitable amount of land started extending their
baileys and demolishing the motte before knocking
down the wooden keep replacing it with a stone
square one, enlarging the water-filled ditches to
make a moat, adding a drawbridge and a fortified
entrance called a barbican, and building tall stone
walls with square towers all around that were called
curtain walls in the place of the timber
stockade/fence. These were so thick that they had
space for patrolling soldiers to walk along the top or
shoot
down arrows from. One way to siege this castle
Defen
was
ce to undermine the corners of the square towers
which
were weak. This castle was designed to protect
rating
: lords Weaknesses
the
from sieges from large armies.
Made of stone which meant that they couldn’t be
burned down
Could be undermined
Had towers to shoot arrows from
Expensive
Had a moat and barbican for extra layered protection
Took long to build
Concentric Castles
Barbican
Drawbridg
e
Curtain wall
Gatehouse
13th Century
‘A Cast
le
within
a
Castle’
Strengths
Weaknesses
Had round towers which meant that they
couldn’t be undermined
Inner Bailey
Inner wall
Had a double layer of walls
Was impenetrable
Keep
Had water defences
Round
towers
Moat
Outer Bailey
Defen
ce
rating
:
This type of castle was designed to improve stone/square keeps and defend the lord from any
siege attacks. The idea of a concentric castle was brought back by English knights from the
Middle East, Jerusalem. They had round towers instead of square ones and couldn’t be
undermined as well as having a double layer of walls with towers: an inner wall and a curtain
wall which could be up to 5 metres thick. The inner bailey was mainly empty as the keep,
storehouse, hall and other buildings were built up against the walls.
The Trebuchet
Arm
Pivot
point
Counterweig
ht
Projectile
Holder
String Trigger
Designed to fire things like rocks,
limestone and rotting animal
corpses at or into the castle
The Siege Tower
Animal
skins
Ramp
Ladders
Storeys
Front View
Rear View
Designed for soldiers to cross over
castle walls and into the castle itself,
and protect and hide them from
arrows.
Mining the Walls
How did Castles change
overtime?
Strengths
Weaknesses
Cheap
Made with wood which meant
that they could be burned or
chopped down
Quick and easy
to make
Could be easily penetrated
from all sides
11th Century
Timber Tower on
Motte
Hal
l
Motte
Stone-built
Chamber block
Water-filled
ditches
Water-filled ditches could be
easily crossed.
Motte and Bailey Castles were
designed in the 11th century by
William the Conqueror to
control villages and protect his
men from any rebellious
villains or peasants. He needed
to make castles quickly as he
didn't have much time so he
started constructing Motte and
Baileys
Defen all over the country
because
they didn't need the
ce
two
things that William didn't
rating
Baile
y
Detached
Kitchen
Stables and
Barns
Chapel
Timber
stockade on
earth bank
Stone gate
tower
Stone/Square Keep Castles
12th Century
Keep
Bailey
Square
Towers
Great
Hall
s
s
s
s
Ston
e
walls
Drawbridg
e
Moat
Barbican
Strengths
This castle began when lords with time, money and a
suitable amount of land started extending their
baileys and demolishing the motte before knocking
down the wooden keep replacing it with a stone
square one, enlarging the water-filled ditches to
make a moat, adding a drawbridge and a fortified
entrance called a barbican, and building tall stone
walls with square towers all around that were called
curtain walls in the place of the timber
stockade/fence. These were so thick that they had
space for patrolling soldiers to walk along the top or
shoot
down arrows from. One way to siege this castle
Defen
was
ce to undermine the corners of the square towers
which
were weak. This castle was designed to protect
rating
: lords Weaknesses
the
from sieges from large armies.
Made of stone which meant that they couldn’t be
burned down
Could be undermined
Had towers to shoot arrows from
Expensive
Had a moat and barbican for extra layered protection
Took long to build
Concentric Castles
Barbican
Drawbridg
e
Curtain wall
Gatehouse
13th Century
‘A Cast
le
within
a
Castle’
Strengths
Weaknesses
Had round towers which meant that they
couldn’t be undermined
Inner Bailey
Inner wall
Had a double layer of walls
Was impenetrable
Keep
Had water defences
Round
towers
Moat
Outer Bailey
Defen
ce
rating
:
This type of castle was designed to improve stone/square keeps and defend the lord from any
siege attacks. The idea of a concentric castle was brought back by English knights from the
Middle East, Jerusalem. They had round towers instead of square ones and couldn’t be
undermined as well as having a double layer of walls with towers: an inner wall and a curtain
wall which could be up to 5 metres thick. The inner bailey was mainly empty as the keep,
storehouse, hall and other buildings were built up against the walls.
The Trebuchet
Arm
Pivot
point
Counterweig
ht
Projectile
Holder
String Trigger
Designed to fire things like rocks,
limestone and rotting animal
corpses at or into the castle
The Siege Tower
Animal
skins
Ramp
Ladders
Storeys
Front View
Rear View
Designed for soldiers to cross over
castle walls and into the castle itself,
and protect and hide them from
arrows.
Mining the Walls
How did Castles change
overtime?
