616 



CASTLE. 



Castle. structure, on an eminence. But its place was by 

 no means uniform ; and it is very often situated at an 

 angle of the inclosure, or sometimes at one side. Its 

 figure was round, square, or polygonal ; its height 

 and diameter indefinite. The walls were always of 

 great strength, even eighteen or twenty feet thick ; it 

 was guarded by a moat, and its entrance was through 

 a machicolated gate, that is, where there were grat- 

 ings or apertures above, through which melted lead 

 or scalding water could be poured on the assailants, 

 or heavy weights, that could be retracted by chains, 

 employed to crush them below. 



In vulgar acceptation, the keep is now understood 

 to be the place formerly devoted to the confinement 

 of prisoners alone, and that it was invariably a sub- 

 terraneous dungeon : but, on the contrary, it was al- 

 ways a lofty tower, and the residence of the princi- 

 pal persons of the castle. We know not whence the 

 name of dungeon originates; but we cannot coincide 

 in the conjecture of those antiquarians, who think it 

 is from the scanty H;ht received through the nar- 

 row apertures of thick walls. If the keep was small, 

 a single apartment occupied each story ; in large 

 castles, it was a round or square tower of four or five 

 stories, each containing more than one apartment, 

 with turrets at the angles of the latter, in which were 

 stairs. Frequently in the centre of the ground floor 

 there was a well of terrific depth ; and there were 

 also frightful vaults below for the reception of pri- 

 soners. The stories were divided by strong arches 

 or simple flooring, and the summit was usually crown- 

 ed by a platform and embattled parapet, whence the 

 garrison could descry the approach of their enemies. 

 To prevent the access of missile weapons, the only 

 windows were narrow loop holes, or long chinks in 

 the wall, which in itself was of such thickness, as to 

 admit of chambers or stairs in its substance. 



Very great varieties, however, are exhibited by the 

 keeps of successive ages, or perhaps of the same; and 

 considering it as the ultimate place of refuge to the 

 besieged, we cannot be surprised that their utmost 

 skill and efforts were lavished on its structure. All 

 single towers unconnected with walls or circum valla - 

 tions, come under the general name of keep, for in 

 fact a keep is nothing but a tower. Strength was 

 more the object than convenience ; and if in any si- 

 tuations the accommodation of the defender was stu- 

 died, it was in such a way that the security of the 

 castle might not be endangered. Thus, in the lower 

 stories, nothing but long narrow loops and ceillets 

 admit the light ; and where there are windows, they 

 are cautiously placed so high as to be beyond the 

 hazard of projectiles, or if one should enter, it will 

 strike the interior arch in the substance of the wall. 

 There are instances where the loop is contrived ob- 

 liquely inclining downwards, so that if a missile wea- 

 pon entered, instead of reaching the interior of a 

 chamber, it was conducted up to the roof beside the 

 loop itself, on which its force was spent. 



The keep of Coningsburgh castle in Yorkshire is 

 of remote antiquity, and has been ascribed by several 

 antiquarians to the fourth or fifth century. It rises 

 from a low mount at one angle of the area that for- 

 merly constituted the whole castle. From the surface 

 of the mound, the diameter of the tower gradually de- 

 creases until dbout 18 feet in height, where there is an 

 entrance by a flight of steep narrow steps to the inte- 



rior. The tower then rises perpendicularly to the height *asile. 

 of 80 or 90 feet from the ground. Its figure is cylin- ^"Y" 

 drical; but six massy buttresses project eight feet 

 from the sides, exhibiting an unusual style of archi- 

 tecture. The tower is of small diameter, there being 

 only a single apartment at the entrance 2l feet wide, 

 lighted by loop holes. In the centre is a circular aper- 

 ture, through which is seen a dismal dungeon below, 

 which no one has yet had resolution to explore. But 

 this being generally the site of the well, possibly a 

 spring exists at the bottom. In the thickness of the 

 wall, which is fifteen feet, there is a broad stair, 

 lighted by two loop holes, and in another part also 

 in the thickness of the wall, are chambers, one of 

 which is of a hexagonal form, the roof 15 or 16 

 feet high, and resting on pillars. The keep of Ca- 

 risbrook castle is circular : its internal diameter is 21 

 feet, and it is likewise strengthened with buttresses. 

 Like the former, it rests on a mound, and the en- 

 trance is above, by a steep flight of 50 steps from a co- 

 vered way. At the bottom of the keep is a dungeon* 

 and near the centre a well, said to have originally been 

 300 deep. Belonging to the same castle is another 

 tower, with a well still 210 feet in depth. Nothing 

 was of equal consequence to the besieged as a con- 

 stant supply of water; hence particular care was ob- 

 served to chuse the site of the keep above a spring ; 

 and such are almost always found on digging out the 

 ruins far under the surface. Sometimes the well was 

 on the outside of the foundation, and so inclosed 

 within a tower, rising of equal height with the keep, 

 through which water could be drawn up to the top 

 of the castle. 



Instead of the small towers which formed the keep 

 of Carisbrook or Coningsburgh Castle, the analogy 

 between which and the pillar towers in Scotland 

 and Ireland, so far as respects the height of the 

 entrance above the ground, cannot be overlooked, 

 there are large square or circular structures in other 

 places of defence, designed for the same purpose. 

 The tower of Canterbury Castle is nearly a square, 

 being 88 feet by 80, and some are much larger. Mr 

 King, who has bestowed much attention on the sub- 

 ject of anctent castles, considers the castle of Ro- 

 chester as one of the most perfect for defence } but 

 our limits preclude us from shewing in detail the 

 means by which that was attained. Here the chief 

 tower is nearly square, like the preceding, being 75 

 feet by 72 : and what the architect, according to 

 that author, has had in view and accomplished was, 

 1, To provide for the security of the entrance. 2. 

 To protect the garrison after capture of the out- 

 works, and preserve to them the power of annoying 

 the enemy. 3. To mislead the besiegers, by draw- 

 ing their attacks to the strongest part of the build- 

 ings. 4. To secure the stores, and also the prison- 

 ers, by an inconsiderable guard. 5. To convey the 

 great engines of war into the different apartments 

 with facility, and also to the top of the tower. 6. 

 The means of speedily alarming the whole garrison, 

 without apprizing the enemy. 7." Supplying the 

 castle with water. 8. Discharging the smoke, and 

 formation of the drains. 9. Providing a safe and com- 

 modious habitation for the governor of the castle. 



The disposal of the two ballia was not invariably 

 encircling the castle ; for there are examples of one 

 at each of two sides, as in Dunamase in Ireland: 



