Why were motte and bailey castles made out of wood?

Why were motte and bailey castles made out of wood?

Motte and bailey castles were made of wood. Wooden castles were quick to build and repair, but they were easy to attack and burn down. Stone castles were stronger and did not rot like wood, but they were expensive and took many years to build.

What was the wooden keep used for?

Traditionally keeps were built as a type of fortified tower built by European nobility. Keep’s were built within castles during the Middle Ages and they were used as a refuge or last resort should the rest of the castle fall to enemies.

What materials were used in motte and bailey castles?

Wood was the most commonly used material, but some keeps were also built from stone. The size of the keep also varied from castle to castle. Wooden keeps were often covered with animal hides.

What is a wooden motte?

The motte is a raised mound of earth which has a wooden or stone building on it, often referred to as a keep. The bailey is an enclosed courtyard that is surrounded by walls and a ditch and palisade — which is a wooden stake fence.

How were motte and bailey castles built?

Originally, these castles were constructed from timber and earth alone; they were cheap and easy to build and didn’t require any special design. The fortification consisted of a wooden keep that was placed on a raised earthwork called a motte, overlooking an enclosed courtyard called the bailey.

Why did wooden castles change to stone?

The wooden defences of motte and bailey castles were replaced by walls and towers of stone. Stone is more durable and resistant than wood and so it became the preferred building materials for castles. Stone castles were built taller and gave better protection against attack, fire and cold rainy weather.

How long did it take to build a wooden motte and bailey castle?

The motte and bailey castle at Dover took just eight days to build – according to William of Poitiers who was William’s chaplain.

What was the purpose of the motte and bailey castles?

Motte and Bailey Castles. This served as a final fighting place where soldiers would retreat if the rest of the castle had been breached. The castle on the motte was reached either by wooden stairs that could be destroyed if the castle itself was attacked or by a ‘flying bridge’ that connected the bailey to the castle.

What is the difference between the motte and the Bailey?

The Bailey was separated from the Motte by a wooden bridge that could be removed if the Bailey was occupied by enemies. The Bailey was the part of the castle where people lived and animals were kept. A large castle might have more than one Bailey.

How long did it take to build the motte and bailey?

The motte and bailey castle at Dover took just eight days to build – according to William of Poitiers who was William’s chaplain. Was such a feat possible? Building castles then was very labour intensive. William and his men were invaders and his army would have had to be on a constant guard especially in the immediate days after Hastings.

What are the different types of Baileys in castles?

In practice, there was a wide number of variations to this common design. A castle could have more than one bailey: at Warkworth Castle an inner and an outer bailey was constructed, or alternatively, several baileys could flank the motte, as at Windsor Castle. Some baileys had two mottes, such as those at Lincoln.