HOMES IN NORMAN TIMES BY ELLA KITT

MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLES The Normans captured an area where they could build a fort or castle where they would be safe. The forts were made from wood. They were built in a few months. They were called Motte and Bailey forts. They were usually built on high ground where they had a good view of the countryside. They were built near each other so they could send signals their neighbours.

MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLE

First a large amount of earth was dug up and raised into a great heap. This heap was called a Motte. It had a flat top. A house with two or three rooms was built on the flat top. This was called a tower- house. The lord and his family lived here. It was surrounded by a wooden fence. The Bailey was at the base of the Motte. It had many buildings. The lords workers, soldiers and craftspeople lived here. It also had workshops and stables. The Bailey was also surrounded by a fence. The Motte and bailey was surrounded by a ditch full of water called a moat. It had a drawbridge.

STONE CASTLES Later on the Normans began to abandon Motte and Bailey castles an started to build stone castles. They were much stronger and nearly impossible to destroy but they took years to build. Stonecutters cut out blocks of stone and shaped them for building. They numbered the stones so that the masons could fit them together easily. The stones were taken to the castle and put into place. The stones were stuck together with mortar made from sand and water mixed with burned lime. The walls could be 5 or 6 metres thick and sixty metres high. They were damp and cold places. Later on they became more comfortable but were still very cold. The only heat came from an open fire. They would need hundreds of people to build a stone castle. Stone castles that are 800 years old are still standing today. A good example is Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare.

PEOPLE BUILDING A STONE CASTLE

THE GREAT TOWER Usually the great tower part of a stone castle was built first. It was also known as the Keep. This was the lords family home. It was rectangular and was surrounded by a wall and had several towers. Outside the wall was a moat. The windows had no glass and were narrow so that an archer could fire arrows out through them. When the castle was under attack, the drawbridge was raised and an iron grille called a portcullis was lowered.

THE GREAT TOWER

THE MANOR HOUSE A Norman lord,who lived in a castle, controlled a wide area of land, sometimes as much as two counties. The lord couldn’t farm it all himself so he divided it into smaller estates called Manors. Each estate was given to a lesser lord sometimes called the ‘Lord of the Manor’. The lord of the manor would give his loyalty and his service to the overlord in exchange for the estate. The lord of the manor built the manor house. It usually had a tower and a look- out post.

THE MANOR HOUSE