Early castles

• Typical castles during the Norman period, built on a motte surronded by a bailey courtyard at the bottom

Later castles

• The motte was replaced by a strong tower called a keep.

Easier to defend

Round keep

Dublin Castle was built like this!

• Concentric castles with outer or curtain walls

For protection...

A moat was a deep ditch filled with water all around the castles

To get to the castle over the moat

A drawbridge

was built

The entrance

• A portcullis was a strong wooden or

iron grating for blocking or allowing access

Against the enemy

• Murder holes are holes in the roof through which rocks or other things capable of causing death were dropped

Against the enemy

• An arrow slit is a hole in a wall through which defenders could quickly fire arrows from bows