The motte and bailey castle was an early form of medieval fortification especially popular with the Normans in northern France and Britain during the 11th century CE. A single tower was built on (or partially within) the motte or earth mound while a courtyard area or bailey at the base was protected by a wooden palisade and an encircling outer ditch. Relatively quick to build, the height of the mound made the tower difficult to attack while the wall offered a place of refuge from opportunist raiders. For these reasons, the motte and bailey castle was especially useful in freshly conquered territories where the native population was still hostile to their new overlords. As stone resisted fire better than wood and defensive designs improved, castles evolved into more permanent structures with stone circuit walls and towers enclosing a more impressive inner stone tower or keep (donjon).
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Timeline
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Oct 1066The Normans introduce motte and bailey castles to Britain.
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1068A motte and bailey castle is built at York, England.
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1068A motte and bailey castle is built at Warwick, Warwickshire, England.
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1069A second motte and bailey castle is built at York, England.
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c. 1070The Normans build the motte and bailey Pickering Castle, Yorkshire, England.
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c. 1070William the Conqueror builds a motte and bailey castle at Windsor.
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1080A motte and bailey castle is built at Launceston, Cornwall, England.
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1080A motte and bailey castle is built at Totnes, Devon, England.
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c. 1093A motte and bailey castle is built at Caernarfon in Wales by the Normans.
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c. 1100The motte and bailey Restormel Castle, Cornwall, England is built.
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1245Clifford's Tower shell keep is built at York, England on the site of a former motte and bailey castle.