Exploring the Changing Role of Castles Between Norman and Tudor Times

Exploring the Changing Role of Castles Between Norman and Tudor Times

The introductions of castles were brought to Britain by William I

(better know as William the Conqueror). He came to power by beating

King Harold in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Then King William

started his campaign to conquer the rest of England and to do this he

introduced castles to Britain. Castles became the military

stronghold-cum-residences from which he could police the newly

conquered lands. The first type of castle he built was known as a

Motte and Bailey castle, which he could erect quickly. In fact it only

took only 17 days to build the first! These consisted of a huge,

flat-topped mound of earth (Motte) surmounted with a tall wooden

tower, with an irregularly shaped enclosure (Bailey) at on side of the

tower (or in some cases surrounding it), the whole encircled by a deep

ditch. The top of the motte and the perimeter of the bailey were

enclosed by timber palisading. The first of these castles was built

before the great battle of Hastings for a sign of great things to

come.

The main idea of a castle was that it didn't take many men to control

a large area, which was helpful as William brought only 11,000 men

with him, and many of them had died during the battle of Hastings.

From this we can tell that Castle Rising was built where it is, mainly

to flaunt his wealth and position in society, as it didn't have any of

the main defenses a castle would usually have, and it was a lot more

decorative than they usually were, for example you wouldn't pay a lot

of money for decorative walls, if a great big rock was going to be

hurled at them! William Albini also built it in approximately 1140.

The reason Rising was built this late, is because it is situated in a

peaceful area where it wasn't really necessary, as it was in other

parts of England and Wales.So Castle Rising was more of a domestic