History of castles

There is an abundance of castles and hillforts all over Britain. The hillforts date back to the Iron Age with many constructed between 800 and 700BC. They were often built on high ground and consisted of a series of ramparts and ditches. Hillforts had a wide range of uses. They provided living space for people, provided storage for grain and other food items and they were used as refuges in times of conflict.

And then came the Roman Invasion. Some hill forts were occupied and used by the Romans and others were destroyed. The full-scale Roman conquest of Britain began in about AD43. They built forts and fortresses all over the country to provide safe accommodation for their troops. A fine example is Hadrian's Wall. Built by the Romans in AD122-232 it stretches 73 miles, coast to coast. Military forts at 5 miles intervals were built along its length to keep the enemy out.


MEDIEVAL CASTLES

The Normans settled in England in 1066 and would change the British Landscape forever. The victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 led to a new age of castle construction. William ordered the construction of castles throughout the country to control and defend the newly aquired territory and the English could put up only a weak resistance.

The first Norman castles were made of motte and bailey, a mound of earth underneath a timber or stone tower which was surrounded by a large ditch. The material was cheap, quick to build and easy to source, however they were vulnerable to attacks and were not long lasting. Early motte and bailey castles which can be visited today include Durham Castle, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle.



From the late 12th century more and more castles began to be built in stone. The focus shifted to outer defences and gatehouses. Towers were built and enclosure walls were added. Another formidable castle design was the concentric castle which was a stone castle with two rings of outer walls, one inside the other. Beaumaris Castle is a good example of a concentric castle.


Beaumaris castle


As the Normans made their claim through England, castles took on a variety of roles.They were used for local governments, centres of administration, justice and used by Lords to display their wealth. The majority of castles and land were granted by the King to his trusted Lords and Nobles in return for administration of the lands on his behalf. Castles became the center of activity for locals and were of significant importance not only for defence, but they gave a sense of security to a community and were important in maintaining order.

See our Castle Life page for more information about the roles people had and what went on behind castle walls.



In the 1270 Conquest of Wales, Edward I built numerous castles throughout Wales and its borders. Typically, these were of a concentric design with a central Tower or Keep, an inner wall surrounded by one, or many outer walls. Moats often surrounded the entire concentric structure. As such, medieval Welsh castles featured heavy defences. The strategy of building these elaborate fortresses was due to King Edward's determination to maintain a tight reign over Wales. This started in 1278 and was accompanied by the building of fortified townships and leaving no doubt in the minds of the Welsh who their new ruler was.



The primary role of many early fortifications was to defend conquered territories. Thus, the location of the castle was of utmost importance. Castles were initially built in towns to be the center of the population. Later, castles were often built on ancient hill fort sites as the high ground combined with extensive views over the surrounding land provided a great advantage over the enemy.

But stone castles also had their disadvantages. They were expensive to build and maintain, they could easily be attacked from beneath and could easily be damaged by weapons such as the trebuchet.


warwick castle trebuchet



LATE MIDDLE AGES

During the 14th and 15th century castles became more comfortable and older castles were updated with bigger windows and large extensions. The medieval household became larger and the castle owner wanted more comfort, more luxurious living quarters and more privacy. Their interiors were often painted and decorated with tapestries and in the wealthier castles the floors would be tiled. But at the same time costs of maintaining and staffing a modern castle were increasing and the number of castles diminished.

Castle design changed with the developments in military technology. With the advent of gunpowder cannons became the preferred siege weapon as they were highly effective in causing a lot of damage. Castle designer's response was to build thicker walls but cannons became increasingly stronger and made castles very undesirable places to live in. As a result permanent artillery fortifications were built which began to take over the defensive role of castles. Warfare changed and most conflicts were now resolved by pitched battle rather than siege. The decline of " true castles " began.

medieval design

Castle building in Scotland didn't flourish until the late 12th century. Early Scottish castles typically comprised of a square stone fortified structure which was crenelated and often surrounded by a walled courtyard. During the reign of David I he realised the advantages that castles brought to the Normans. He invited several Nobleman from England and granted them titles and lands, after which Norman castles began appearing throughout Scotland's countryside. Typically, Scottish castles were used as wealthy family homes, with some serving as military fortifications.



Medieval castles in Britain represent hundreds of years of history, many still boldly standing, others, in which the history remains, only as ruins. In whichever form they still exist, all possess an incredible story.

See our Castle Guide to learn more about their fascinating past or visit some of our favourite English, Welsh and Scottish castles.