British Castles :: essays research papers

BRITISH CASTLESGreat Britain&8217s citadels exemplify artistic characteristics and were inherent elements in the lives of kings, lords, nobles, and chieftains. The word castle means a building or group of buildings usually intended as a residence of a king, lord, noble, or chieftain. There are many distinguishable types of castles, and the features about them are simply amazing. Warfare was also an important issue involving castles. They had to have whatever means of protection. The castles reached their fullest development in the medieval period, even though strengthen building had been around much earlier. The castles created a feudalistic system, which gave them their greatest importance. The feudal system was divided into three classes the knights and nobles, clergy, and peasants. The knights and nobles&8217 job was to defend society, the clergy was to pray, while the peasants had the business to till the soil and support other classes (Collier&8217s Encyclopedia 532). T he ancestor of has been traced back to the late Roman times when men placed themselves to a lower place a man stronger and wealthier than themselves (Rowling 31). The knights lived in castles built upon hill conduces or in the defer of rivers. There they received vessels, held meeting and upon occasion, defended themselves from rivals.There are many different general styles of castles in Britain. One of the styles is a motte and bailey, which was one of the first types of castles built. The castle was made of a motte, which was a large man-made mound of earth. The top of the mound was surrounded by wooden palisades, which were like logs. Within those logs was a wooden keep. This was used as a lookout tower and a last refuge or keep (Farndon 7). The only way to light into the motte was across a sloping bridge, placed on high pillars. The bailey was close to the motte, and wooden palisades also surrounded it. A ditch of water protected the bailey. The motte and bailey were conne cted by a flying bridge that could be rupture down if the bailey was not needed anymore. Since the motte and bailey were made of wood and earth none of the castles have survived completely today (Remfry 1). Norman&8217s were few so they must have had to force people to help build it (Farndon 6). By the eleventh century the motte and bailey form of castle was widely spread (Alistair 3). some other type of castle is a shell keep.