Chapter XI: The Siege and Defence of a Medieval Castle 188

INDEX 201

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FULL PAGE IN COLOUR

1. Bodiam Castle, Sussex _Frontispiece_

One of the most picturesque ruins in Sussex and the most
interesting of its class in the Kingdom. It was erected
by a veteran of Agincourt and is based upon the plan of
those existing in Gascony at that time. Only the
encircling walls and towers now remain, the interior
having been despoiled. The view shows the Gateway and a
portion of the defences of the Causeway across the Moat.

FACING PAGE

2. Maiden Castle, Dorsetshire 9

This gigantic earthwork looms darkly in the distance,
with indications upon its broken outline of the enormous
mounds and fosses which render it one of the most
impressive examples of its class. As a work of Neolithic
man it commands attention, both by reason of the vastness
of its plan and the skill shown in the design.

3. Pevensey Castle, Sussex 16

Within the Roman walls encircling this ancient site a
Concentric Castle was erected during the time of Edward
I., a short portion of the existing wall being used for
the new building. It was partly surrounded by a moat, a
part of which appears in the view, while the drum tower
occupying the centre is one of those designed to protect
the approach to the Castle.

4. The Beauchamp Tower, Tower of London 25

This building affords an interesting example of the
ground floor of a tower of the thirteenth century with
massive walls and deep embrasures. It became famous as a
prison in Tudor times and later when numerous notable
persons were incarcerated; the carvings on the walls
reveal many notable names.

5. Corfe Castle, Dorsetshire 32

The scattered ruins of the great Castle of Corfe owe
their present appearance to the "slighting" by gunpowder
in 1646, after its capture by the Parliamentarians. Amid
the desolation produced the great Keep still rears a
massive front towards the sky, as if protesting against
the indignity. The Gateway to the inner Bailey is nearly
perfect, and the smooth ashlar of many of the circular
towers remains wonderfully preserved.

6. The Tower of London 49

The three lines of defence which render the Tower one of
the most effective Concentric Castles in this country are
well seen in the illustration. The outer encircling
walls, the higher curtain wall of the second defence,
with one of the many towers which bestride it, and the
innermost of all, the White Tower, the finest example of
a Norman Keep in England, may be distinctly located.

7. Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire 56

Although deprived of the charm of the great Moat which
once surrounded the Castle, Kenilworth still forms a
beautiful object, magnificent in its decay. The halo of
romance hangs over these ruins, and speaks eloquently of
the Barons' War, and of the 'spacious days' of Queen
Elizabeth.

8. Arundel Castle, Sussex 73

This massive pile, overlooking the little river Arun at
its base, stands upon a spur of chalk which once bore a
Motte and Bailey Castle. The Motte is now crowned by a
Shell Keep, seen towards the right of the picture, while
some of the other buildings erected upon the enceinte
form an effective group in the centre.

9. Dover Castle, Kent 80

The great Keep dominates the view, with the buildings of
its fore-court at the base, while below are seen the
towers and massive defences of the formidable entrance to
the Castle. It is one of the most impressive piles to be
seen in the British Isles, and never fails to impress the
foreigner when approaching it from the coast of France.

10. Rochester Castle, Kent 89

Of Rochester Castle nothing of importance remains except
the great Keep and fragments of walls. The Norman Keep
was erected in the reign of Henry I. (1100-1135) and is
one of the finest now in existence. It has seen many
troublous times in its varied history, chiefly at the
hands of King John and Simon de Montfort. The combination
of Keep, Cathedral, and river presented in the view is
particularly pleasing.

11. Richmond Castle, Yorkshire 96

This lordly Castle occupies a commanding position in the
romantically beautiful valley of the Swale and dates back
to the Norman period. The Keep is a salient feature and
exemplifies in a remarkable degree nearly all the
characteristics inherent in buildings of this class. The
Norman hall is one of the best preserved of its type to
be found in this country.

12. Carnarvon Castle, Carnarvonshire 105

One of the most impressive features of this great Castle,
termed the finest in Europe, is the Eagle Tower with its
many historical associations. The bands and dressings of
dark sandstone are well shown in the illustration, while
upon the merlons crowning the turrets may be perceived as
little dots the statuettes of men and animals which
usually occur upon the Edwardian Castles in Wales.

13. Castle Rushen, Isle of Man 112

Castle Rushen, in Castletown, is the ancient residence of
the Kings of Man; it probably dates from the thirteenth
century and is still quite entire. The Keep-like
structure upon the right are the curtain walls and towers
surrounding the inner Bailey.

14. Leeds Castle, Kent 121

Leeds Castle is of the Concentric type and stands upon
two islands in the middle of a lake which contains about
fifteen acres of water. It has a rich history and the
remains are of considerable interest, although the
earliest work now to be seen is not older than the
twelfth century. The Gloriette or Keep is that portion
lying to the right in the picture.

15. Tower of London, The Middle Tower 128

This building might more aptly be termed 'The Barbican,'
as it lies upon the farther side of the Moat from the
Fortress. It now forms the entrance to the Tower from
Tower Hill and affords access to the outer Bailey through
the Byward Tower, whose entrance may be perceived through
the archway. In earlier times this gate, which is one of
those built by Henry III., was separated from a former
outer barbican by the waters of the Moat, hence its name,
the Middle Tower.

16. Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire 137

Chepstow Castle is an example of an Early Norman Fortress
of the Rectangular Keep type, which was rendered
concentric by the addition of Baileys and a wall of
enceinte. A steep side towards the river is visible in
the picture upon which the domestic buildings were built.
Among the many beautiful spots to be found upon the banks
of the Wye, Chepstow Castle holds a worthy place. Perhaps
the 'beauty of decay' is in no case better exemplified in
any part of England than here.

17. Leeds Castle, Kent 144

The Gateway of the Castle is one of the most picturesque
portions of the building. A range of machicoulis is
placed over the entrance, while a small portion of an
original bretasche, a very rare survival of the medieval
period, is also preserved in the Castle.

18. Windsor Castle 147

Windsor Castle was originally of the Motte and Bailey
type, but the Motte was subsequently crowned with a
massive Shell Keep, one of the largest of its kind. It
appears in the illustration surmounted by the Royal
Standard. By later additions the Castle was rendered
concentric. In the centre is the upper portion of St.
George's Chapel, and on the right the Curfew Tower built
by Henry III. and restored by Salvin, while in the front
nestles a portion of the old town.

19. Skipton Castle, Yorkshire 150

Skipton Castle possesses a history reaching back to the
Norman Conquest, and has been in the possession of the
great Clifford family since the reign of Edward II. The
portion here shown is the Tudor Courtyard, erected by the
first Earl of Cumberland in the reign of Henry VIII.

20. Ightham Mote, Kent 155

Ightham Mote boasts of a Hall erected early in the
fourteenth century and one of the best of its kind. The
tower is of Perpendicular architecture, and most of the
other portions Elizabethan. The half-timber work
exhibited in this building is a beautiful example, and
the whole structure harmonizes in the happiest manner
with the uncommon beauty of the surroundings.

21. Wressle Castle, Yorkshire 158

Wressle Castle has a history which is indissolubly linked
up with the great house of the Percies, who periodically
maintained their court in it for centuries. Only the
south façade is now standing, as the Parliamentarians
destroyed the remaining three sides about 1650. It was
surrounded by a moat and a deep dry ditch. The famous
Household Book of Henry Percy, written soon after the
country settled down after the Wars of the Roses, reveals
elaborate details of the life in this Castle. The
illustration shows how a castle built on level ground is
able to look over a very extended area from its
battlements.

22. Hever Castle, Kent 161

Hever Castle dates from the time of Edward III., and a
romantic interest is attached to it in connection with
the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, whose family resided there.
The Gatehouse, not shown in the illustration, is
undoubtedly one of the most effective portions of the
building.

23. Maxstoke Castle, Warwickshire 163

This Castle is practically entire, having escaped the
destructive hands of the Parliamentarians. It was raised
in the early part of the reign of Edward III. and the
Gatehouse forms an excellent example of castellation of
that period. Strange to say, some of the original
domestic apartments are still in a good state of
preservation.

24. Herstmonceaux Castle, Sussex 166

This Castle is one of the later type, and erected in
brick. It is contemporary with Tattershall in
Lincolnshire, also built of brick, and undoubtedly forms
one of the finest examples of the Castellated Mansion to
be found in England.

25. Penshurst Place, Kent 168

The manor-house of the Sydneys first came into existence
in the reign of Edward II., and gradually expanded into a
happy mixture of the manorial mansion and the Castle. The
Hall, seen in the centre of the picture, dates from the
middle of the fourteenth century and is one of the
earliest parts of the building.

26. Bothwell Castle, Lanarkshire 179

Bothwell Castle stands in all the majesty of ruin upon
the banks of the Clyde, and is without doubt the grandest
example in Scotland of the simple enclosure castle of the
thirteenth century. A deep and wide moat protects it upon
the land side, and its Donjon is also strengthened by its
own ditch.

27. Neidpath Castle, Peeblesshire 182

Is a typical Lowland Keep or Peel overlooking the Tweed,
and although it probably does not date back earlier than
the fourteenth century in its present form, an older
structure existed in the time of David I. (1124-1153),
who dated charters there. The Castle was held by the
Frasers until the fourteenth century, and John, Lord
Yester, afterwards the Earl of Tweeddale, defended the
place against Cromwell in 1646 but was obliged to
surrender.

28. Edinburgh Castle from the Terrace of Heriot's Hospital 185

Edinburgh Castle is the centre of the national history of
Scotland. It stands upon the ancient Burgh of Edwin, King
of Northumbria, and although sadly altered and disfigured
in comparatively modern times by the addition of many
unpicturesque buildings, it still possesses interesting
features of the past, and an imposing aspect when viewed
from the city.

29. Dunnottar Castle, Kincardineshire 187

Dunnottar Castle is undoubtedly one of the most majestic
ruins of the fourteenth century in Scotland, with a rich
store of interesting history casting a halo of romance
around the massive pile. The sea surrounds it on three
sides, while a deep ravine upon the fourth severs it from
the mainland. The tide of war has often ebbed and flowed
before its hoary walls. The Keep was built by Sir William
Keith in 1392, and in the Great Civil War the regalia of
Scotland, which had been sent here for safety, was sent
out of the Castle before its surrender to the English.

30. Tantallon Castle, Haddingtonshire 190

Tantallon Castle stands upon a bold spur of rock south of
the Firth of Forth. It is a magnificent example of a
Quadrangular Castle, surrounded upon three sides by the
waters of the North Sea, and defended upon the remaining
side by gigantic walls flanked by the Keep, and also a
deep ditch.

31. Stirling Castle, Stirlingshire 192

Stirling Castle occupies a precipitous site upon the
river Forth and is connected with the history of Scotland
from a very early period. Of sieges and battles it has
seen its full share, and although modern fortifications
and barracks somewhat detract from its appearance, it
still possesses a number of medieval structures of great
beauty and interest.

32. Raising the Portcullis 196

The method for raising and lowering the Portcullis of a
medieval castle is shown here, the example being taken
from the Tower of London. This effective defence could be
entirely detached if required and dropped at a critical
moment when, perhaps, a few assailants had gained
admission, and were in that manner cut off from their
comrades.

LINE DRAWINGS IN THE TEXT

PAGE

1. A Trebuchet Title-page

2. Comb Moss, Derbyshire 11

3. Maiden Castle, West Entrance 16

4. Maiden Castle, East Entrance 17

5. Stockade of Stone and Rubble, with Palisade of Wood 19

6. Simple Stockade of Stone and Earth, retained by
Wooden Stakes 20

7. Stone Stockade, with Inner Core of Masonry 20

8. Wooden Palisade of Tree-Trunks, strengthened with
Earth 21

9. Badbury Rings, Dorset 23

10. The Berm of Cadbury Castle 24

11. Ravensburgh Castle, Hexton, Herts 26

12. Mam Tor, Derbyshire 28

13. Hunsbury, Northamptonshire 30

14. Yarnbury, Wilts 31

15. Melandra, Derbyshire 35

16. Section of the City Defences of Verulamium (near
St. Albans) 37

17. Battlemented Parapet shown in Caedmon's Paraphrase 41

18. Battlements shown in Harl. MS. 603 41

19. The Danish Burh at Gannock's Castle, near Tempsford 44

20. Pevensey Castle 46

21. Clifford's Castle, Northants 51

22. Forebuilding of the Keep, Berkeley 79

23. Dover Castle 81

24. Clun Castle, Salop 89

25. Bamborough Castle 95

26. Plans of the Keep of Hedingham Castle 100

27. Ground Plan of Conisborough Keep 107

28. Conisborough 108

29. The Ideal Concentric Castle 115

30. Machicoulis supporting an Alur 117

31. Merlon pierced with Oillet 124

32. Caerphilly Castle 127

33. Kidwelly Castle, Carmarthenshire 129

34. Chepstow Castle 141

35. Leeds Castle, Kent 143

36. Bartizan 178

37. Diagram illustrating the Principle of Construction in
Classical Engines 192

BRITISH CASTLES