"As they captured each territory, William and his men secured their camps with simple earth and timber defenses characteristic of northern Europe (...). These wooden structures have disintegrated, but sometimes their earthen mounds survive as rolling hills or picturesque elements in the landscape. Timber castles were especially useful to a warrior king like William the Conqueror who moved rapidly to bring new territories under control. The earth and timber castles could be built quickly, since the newly moved earth did not have to support great weight. Such structures were also relatively cheap because they required no specialized masons and expensive stone. Since the timber building tradition was widespread both in the British Isles and on the continent, the carpenters knew the building techniques. These castles were essentially towers and stockades; they provided garrison headquarters as well as residences."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Ch. 1 : The Great Tower : Norman and Early Plantagenet Castles
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marilyn_Stokstad
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Marilyn Stokstad
Marilyn Stokstad (February 16, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American art historian of medieval and Spanish art, Judith Harris Murphy Distinguished Professor Emerita of Art History at the University of Kansas, and an author of art-history textbooks.
27 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Marilyn Stokstad →
Related Quotes
"Were castles really as rough and rugged as their owners? The answer seems to be, “not necessarily.” Castles were inde…"
"Never as neat or well organized as many descriptions suggest, in essence feudalism involved the exchange of grants of…"
"The Church attempted to regulate this rather violent society, and eventually a code of honor evolved known as the cod…"
"Women played a greater role than might be expected in this elite warrior society, as heiresses and chatelaines in cha…"
"An alternate career path for a woman lay in the Church, where as a nun she escaped the dangers of childbirth. In the …"
"Before we continue our story we must stop to ask, “What is a castle?” Once a castle was defined simply as the fortifi…"
"When a strong central authority protects borders and reduces internal crime, people have little need for fortified dw…"
"Ninth-century castles were relatively small and simple affairs designed to safeguard a relatively small number of peo…"
"A motte and bailey castle consists of a man-made hill (the motte) supporting a tower and a walled yard (the bailey). …"
"The castle was far more than a walled and turreted fortress; it was an instrument of social control and the symbol of…"