• Episodes
    Episode Index Key Dates Timelines By Category This day in history
    Episodes
    Saxons, Angles and Jutes Viking Invasions The Norman Invasion The Hudred Years War War of the Roses Complete list of Episodes
    Timelines
    Timeline Index 1001 .. 1100 1101 .. 1200 1201 .. 1300 1301 .. 1400 1401 .. 1500 1501 .. 1600
    Key Dates
    1001 - 1200 1201 - 1300 1301 - 1400 1401 - 1500 1501 - 1600
    More
    This day in history Timelines by Category
  • People
    Medieval People A..Z English Kings & Queens Kings of Scotland Kings of France Kings of Denmark Emperors of Byzantine Popes and Antipopes Crusader States and their Rulers Family Trees
    Rulers
    English Kings & Queens Kings of Scotland Kings of France Kings of Denmark Emperors of Byzantine
    More
    Popes and Antipopes Crusader State Rulers
    Index
    Medieval People A..Z Listed by Century Births and Deaths Family Trees
    Shield Designer
    Design your Shield
  • Life
    Life in Medieval Times Life in a Castle The Feudal System Country Life and Agriculture Life in a Medieval Town Life in a Religious Community
    General
    Life in Medieval Times The Feudal System The Black Death The Peasants Revolt
    Life in
    Life in a Castle Life in a Village Life in a Town
    The Abbey
    Life in an Abbey The Medieval Abbey The Origin of Monasteries Religious Orders
  • Castles
    Castle Index Page Castle Development Early Fortifications Motte and bailey Castles Square Keeps Castle of William the Conqueror Concentric Castles Castles of Edward I Castle Siege Tactics Parts of a Castle Locations of over 300 Castles UK Castles by County
    General
    Castle Index Page Castle Development Purpose of a Castle Life in a Castle
    Types
    Early Fortifications Motte and Bailey Square Keeps Conquest Castles Concentric Castles Castles of Edward I
    More
    Castle Siege Tactics Parts of a Castle Master Masons
    Locations
    300 Castles UK Castles by County
  • Places
    A..Z list of Medieval Buildings Maps Photographs Abbeys and Monasteries Cathedrals Medieval Architecture
    Places
    Medieval Buildings A..Z Photographs
    Maps
    Index Page
    Abbeys
    Abbeys and Monasteries Layout of a Medieval Abbey Cathedrals Medieval Architecture
     
  • 3D/VR
    Virtual Reconstructions
    Virtual Motte and Bailey Castle Virtual Norman Keep Virtual Siege Engines
    Virtual Bodiam Castle Virtual Skenfrith Castle Virtual Middleham Castle Virtual White Tower Virtual Etal Castle
    Knights Training
    3D Reconstructions
    Index Page Motte and Bailey Castle Bodiam Castle Skenfrith Castle Middleham Castle The White Tower
    3D Locations
    The Medieval Abbey The Medieval Town The Medieval Village
    2D
    The Medieval Town The Manor House
    Headset VR
    VR Experiences VR Medieval Keep VR Medieval House
  • More
    • Test your Knowledge

    • Glossary of Terms
    • Glossary of Heraldic Terms
    • Scriptorium

    • Games
    • Early Access

    • Copyright / About TimeRef.com
    • Contact the Author
  • Episodes
    Episodes
    Saxons, Angles and Jutes Viking Invasions The Norman Invasion The Hudred Years War War of the Roses Complete list of Episodes
    Timelines
    Timeline Index 1001 .. 1100 1101 .. 1200 1201 .. 1300 1301 .. 1400 1401 .. 1500 1501 .. 1600
    Key Dates
    1001 - 1200 1201 - 1300 1301 - 1400 1401 - 1500 1501 - 1600
    More
    This day in history Timelines by Category
  • People
    Rulers
    English Kings & Queens Kings of Scotland Kings of France Kings of Denmark Emperors of Byzantine
    More
    Popes and Antipopes Crusader State Rulers
    Index
    Medieval People A..Z Listed by Century Births and Deaths Family Trees
    Shield Designer
    Design your Shield
  • Life
    General
    Life in Medieval Times The Feudal System The Black Death The Peasants Revolt
    Life in
    Life in a Castle Life in a Village Life in a Town
    The Abbey
    Life in an Abbey The Medieval Abbey The Origin of Monasteries Religious Orders
  • Castles
    General
    Castle Index Page Castle Development Purpose of a Castle Life in a Castle
    Types
    Early Fortifications Motte and Bailey Square Keeps Conquest Castles Concentric Castles Castles of Edward I
    More
    Castle Siege Tactics Parts of a Castle Master Masons
    Locations
    300 Castles UK Castles by County
  • Places
    A..Z list of Medieval Buildings Maps Photographs Abbeys and Monasteries Cathedrals Medieval Architecture
    Places
    Medieval Buildings A..Z Photographs
    Maps
    Index Page
    Abbeys
    Abbeys and Monasteries Layout of a Medieval Abbey Cathedrals Medieval Architecture
     
  • 3D/VR
    3D Reconstructions
    Index Page Motte and Bailey Castle Bodiam Castle Skenfrith Castle Middleham Castle The White Tower
    3D Locations
    The Medieval Abbey The Medieval Town The Medieval Village
    2D
    The Medieval Town The Manor House
    Headset VR
    VR Experiences VR Medieval Keep VR Medieval House
  • More
    • Test your Knowledge

    • Glossary of Terms
    • Glossary of Heraldic Terms
    • Scriptorium

    • Games
    • Early Access

    • Copyright / About TimeRef.com
    • Contact the Author
  1. Home
  2. Medieval Castles
  3. Development Timeline
Castles
Please note that the TimeRef website is currently being redesigned.

Medieval Castle Development Timeline

Tweet

The shape, size and purpose of the medieval castle has changed over time. This page describes the changes that took place.

Pre 1000 A.D.

Pre-medieval Castles

  • Iron Age Hill Forts
  • Rocky outcrops
  • Steep slopes and ditches
  • Roman rectangular forts

To avoid being attacked either by fellow humans or wild animals and without the luxury of a stone castle the best defence for Iron Age people was to live somewhere that was difficult for those attackers to get at. This is how primitive people planned their defences. By living somewhere from which they could see attackers coming and somewhere they could easily defend early humans were able to survive.

1000 A.D.

Enclosure Castles

  • Roughly circular enclosure known as a bailey
  • Defensive walls and ditches
  • Small hall-keep for accomodation
  • Mostly wooden or rough stone wall construction

This type of castle is where a Saxon or Norman Lord would live in relative safety from attack where it was deemed less important to build a large keep. The castle consisted of a roughly circular enclosure surrounded by a wooden palisade with a small range of buildings at the center. A gatehouse with drawbridge over a ditch of water-filled moat provided extra protection. In times of trouble the surrounding population could find shelter in the bailey.

Motte and Bailey Castles

  • Earth and timber construction
  • Central stronghold raised on mound (motte)
  • Motte built from scratch or reuse of existing feature
  • Extra ditches around motte
  • Many hundreds built during the Norman Conquest of Britain

The motte and bailey castle is categorised by a large earthen mound known as the motte and a circular or kidney-shaped enclosure known as the bailey. The Normans built many of these castles around England and on the borders of Wales to keep the local inhabitants under their control. Examples of existing castles that started as motte and baileys include Warwick and Windsor.

Examples: Wallingford, Warwick, Windsor

1070 A.D.

Norman Keep Towers

  • Massive square tower with four corner turrets
  • Built in the times of William the Conqueror and William Rufus
  • Extremely thick walls
  • Internally divided into two halves
  • Incorporated rooms for storage and living quarters
  • Also has a built in chapel
  • Splayed base for extra strength and to deflect missiles dropped from above into attackers.

William the Conqueror and his master castle builder Gundalf built the massive White Tower in London to dominate the local inhabitants.

Examples: Tower of London, Rochester

Improved Design

  • Easy to undermine at corners
  • Corners had defensive blind spots

Although square keeps were still being built, it became clear that the old design had several problems: -

To overcome these problems the castle designers began to build multi-sides and round keeps. Orford Castle is a very good example of a many sided keep and is still in very good condition.

Examples: Orford, Conisborough, Odiham

Adulterine Castles

  • Illegally built castles

Normally the builder of a castle needed permission for its construction from the king. This was known as a "licence to crenellate". But During the reign of Stephen (1135-1154) and the civil war with Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I, many castles were built illegally. These castles are known as adulterine castles. When Henry II became King of England many of these castles were destroyed.

1270 A.D.

Concentric Castles

  • Inner and outer curtain walls
  • Inner walls higher than outer walls
  • Multiple gatehouses

A concentric castle consists of an inner ward surrounded by one or more outer walls. If an attacker manages to get past one wall there is still one or more set of walls to get past to get to the centre. An attacker could get trapped between walls and be an easy target for the defenders. The first true concentric castle in Britain was Caerphilly Castle in Wales ordered by Henry III.

Examples: Beaumaris

Edward I - Castles in Wales

Edward I built a series of castles in North Wales along the coast where they could be resupplied by sea. They allowed Edward to conquer Llewelyn ap Gruffyfdd, the Prince of Wales. Each castle had a small town attached to it protected by a enclosing wall.

Examples: Caernarfon, Flint, Conway, Harlech and Hawarden

Siege Methods

Attackers

  • Moats bridged with planks
  • Walls scaled with ladders
  • Seige towers built
  • Undermining of walls
  • Siege engines - trebuchet
  • Starvation of castle inhabitants
  • Treachery

Defenders

  • Push ladders away
  • Counter mines
  • Boiling oil and Greek fire

1300 - 1499 A.D.

Fortified Manor Houses

  • Defence less of a priority
  • Designed to impress
  • Crenelations for effect
  • Manor houses
  • Brick construction in 1400s

In these two centuries fewer new castles were built. The King and Barons concentrated on improving the castles they had, making them larger and more comfortable to live in. Those that were built were designed first for luxury and to impress rather than for defence.

Examples: Maxstoke, Nunney, Bodiam, Old Wardour, Herstmonceux, Tattershall, Stokesay

Stokesay Castle - a fortified manor house

A Virtual Reconstruction

Stokesay Castle is an excellent example of a fortified manor house. It has remained largely unchanged since the time it was built in the thirteenth century by Lawrence of Ludlow. Lawrence was a wealthy wool trader who built a new hall and tower on the site of an existing fortification. Explore the hall and solar block that he created.

1538 - 1540 A.D.

Coastal Defences

  • Squat and circular
  • Thick walls
  • Several tiers of gun ports
  • No living quarters for lord or family
  • Built to guard important estuaries

The requirement to live in castles in England had passed because the barons and nobles were no longer fighting amongst themselves. But the threat of invasion from France was very real. In the reign of Henry VIII the threat became so great that the King ordered the construction of several new castles along the south coast of England. These are known as the gun-forts of Henry VIII.

Examples: Deal, Walmer, Pendennis, St. Mawes

More castle pages

  • Castle Index Page
  • Why build and live in castles
  • Castle development timeline

Pages in this section

  • Introduction and simple keep example
  • Tower of London plans and 3d model
  • Middleham Castle floor plans
  • Hedingham Castle floor plans
  • Dover Castle floor plans
  • Timeline of Square Keep construction
  • Explore 3d reconstructions

Types of castles

  • Early Fortifications
  • Castles of William the Conqueror
  • Keep and bailey castles
  • Motte and bailey castles
  • Square keeps
  • Shell-Keeps
  • Polygonal Keeps
  • Concentric Castles

Other details

  • Castles of Edward I
  • Medieval Castle Builders
  • Medieval Siege Tactics
  • The Trebuchet
  • Siege Towers
  • Parts of a castle
  • Location of 300+ UK castles
  • Location by UK county

Medieval Castles

  • Why build and live in castles
  • Castle development timeline

Types of castles

  • Early Fortifications
  • Castles of William the Conqueror
  • Earthwork castles
  • Motte and bailey castles
  • Square keeps
  • Shell-Keeps
  • Polygonal Keeps
  • Concentric Castles

Other details

  • Castles of Edward I
  • Medieval Castle Builders
  • Medieval Siege Tactics
  • The Trebuchet
  • Siege Towers
  • Parts of a castle
  • Location of 300+ UK castles
  • Location by UK county

Medieval Heraldry

Learn about medieval shield design.

Design your own medieval Coat of Arms.

Explore the White Tower

Explore four floors of the keep at the Tower of London.

 

Adventure Game - Early Access

Early Access to the TimeRef card-based Adventure Game.

 

Medieval Town - Early Access

Explore the medieval town.

 

Medieval Village - Early Access

Explore the medieval village.

 

Medieval Abbey - Early Access

Explore the medieval abbey.

 

Medieval Theatre - Early Access

Explore the medieval theatre.

 

^ Back to top

          This popup will contain more information
          This popup will contain more information
          xyz
          xyz