Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 1 (of 2)Clark, George Thomas
History
Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 1 (of 2)
Clark, George Thomas
Architecture -- England; Architecture, Medieval; Military architecture
That there existed in England, at the Conquest, no castles in masonry
of English work it may be too much to assert; but it may safely be
said that, save a fragment of wall at Corfe, no military masonry
decidedly older than that event has as yet been discovered. In 1052,
when the Confessor and Earl Godwin came to terms, and the attack on
London was set aside, it is stated that Archbishop Robert and his
Frenchmen fled, some westward to Pentecost Castle and some northwards
to Robert’s Castle; so that these places probably, like Richard’s
Castle, were in Norman hands, though it does not follow that they were
constructed of the material or in the fashion then coming into use in
Normandy.
“Domesday” mentions directly forty-nine castles as existing at the date
of the survey, and of these at least thirty-three were on sites far
older than the Conquest; and of them at least twenty-eight possessed
artificial mounds similar to Arundel and the castles in Normandy.
“Domesday,” however, is notoriously capricious both in its entries
and omissions on such matters as were not included in its proper
view, and its list of castles is nearly as incomplete as its list
of churches. Neither were required to be noted. “Of the forty-nine
castles recorded,” says Sir H. Ellis, “eight are known, either on
the authority of ‘Domesday’ or of our old historians, to have been
built by the Conqueror himself; ten are entered as erected by greater
barons, and one by an under-tenant of Earl Roger; eleven more, of
whose builders we have no particular account, are noticed in the
‘Survey,’ either expressly or by inference, as new.” The fact is,
however, that although the number of castles actually mentioned may
be only forty-nine, of castles and castelries (which imply a castle)
there are named in “Domesday” fifty-two. The castles reputed to have
been built by the Conqueror himself are Lincoln, Rockingham, Wareham,
two castles at York, Dover, Durham, London, and Nottingham, of which
the last four are not mentioned in “Domesday.” Exeter, also omitted,
is generally reputed to be one of William’s castles, as was Stafford;
which, however, was constructed and destroyed before the date of the
survey. “Terra de Stadford in qua rex percepit fieri castellum, quod
modo est destructum,” a very short period for the construction and
destruction of a work in masonry. Mr. Pearson, who has given great
attention to the subject of Norman castles in England, tabulates the
result of his researches in the atlas attached to his “History.” He
there enumerates, as standing in the reign of the Conqueror, forty-nine
castles belonging to the King and fifty to his subjects. Of these, at
least thirty-eight have mounds. He gives also a list of fifty-three
belonging to private persons in the reign of William Rufus, of which at
least five have mounds. Probably there were of each class many more
than these. Colchester, for example, is not included, nor Farnham, nor
Berkhampstede.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account