We are all familiar with the saying ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’, but how many people realise the importance of the domestic role of the castle? in fact, the definition of a castle is ‘the fortified residence of a lord’ and castle had to be both a defensive structure and a high-status residence, so that much of the skill of castle design lay in the ability to combine these often-contrary requirements.

As the medieval period progressed, so the design of castles altered – not merely to accommodate the latest developments in military architecture, but also to be able to provide the increasingly sophisticated domestic facilities expected by nobles in the later Middle Ages. In the thirteenth century, the development of concentrically defended castles not only created the apogee of the military design of a castle, but by putting the defences out on the walls, the interior of the castle could be used for more sophisticated domestic structures. The high point of development of these castles can be seen in the castles built by Edward I in Wales – in particular castles such as Conwy and Caernarfon. These buildings are imposing military structures, but also contain accommodation fit for a royal household within their walls.

From this point on, castle development pays ever more attention to domestic requirements, with castles such as Bodiam in the 14th century and Raglan in the 15th century displaying particularly complicated arrangements for the people to be housed in the castle.

This course will cover the origins and development of the medieval castle by examining castles both as military and as domestic structures. Beginning with the earthwork and timber castles which appear after the Norman Conquest, we will then follow the development of stone-built castles from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

As will be seen, these buildings reveal not only the amazing inventiveness of the medieval mind in developing and refining defensive architecture, but the increasing complexity of the castle’s living quarters illustrates the development of the lords’ household during the high Middle Ages.

• Coulson, C., Castles in Medieval Society: Fortresses in England, France, and Ireland in the Central Middle Ages, Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-1992-7363-4


• Creighton, O.H., Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Medieval England, Equinox Publishing Ltd, 2002, ISBN 1-9047-6867-9


• Friar, S., Sutton Companion to Castles, Sutton 2003, ISBN 0-7509-2744-5


• Higham, R. & Barker, P., Timber Castles, (New Edition) Exeter University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8598-9753-2


• McNeill, T., Castles, B.T. Batsford/English Heritage, 1992, ISBN 0-7134-7025-9

• Bamburgh Castle – Archaeology
• BBC Architecture – Welsh Castles
• Castle Information
• Castles and Fortifications in England and Wales
• Castles in Medieval Times
• Castles of Britain
• Castles of the World
• Castles of Wales
• Castles on the Web
• Crac de Chevaliers
• Crusader Castles
• Development of the English Castle
• English Heritage Castles
• Excavations at Dolforwyn Castle
• Life in a Medieval Castle
• Medieval Castles On-Line
• Medieval Castles – Siege Weapons
• Medieval Fortifications
• NetSERF– Medieval Architecture – Castles
• The Normans and Castle Building
• Some Great Castles of England
• Time Team – Medieval Castles
• What is a Castle?

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