CA8TI.K 



CASTLE. 



Mac *tonned or taken. Sometime* the keep wa* built on an artificial 

 mound, but sometime* there wae a mound, with or without a donjon, 

 in addition to the keep. 



The r^ose court contained the lodging* of the garriaon, the store- 

 booses, and variou* office*. The surrounding wall* were from 20 

 to 25 feet high; occasionally strengthen*! with tower* or bastioos; 

 and had a terrace walk with a parapet. The gatehouse wag of great 

 strength, flanked with towen, and sometimes perhaps, though not 

 often, in the earlier castles, defended by a barbacan. [BARBACAX.] From 

 the gatehouse, a drawbridge wa* let down acrue* the fo**e, which was 

 sometime* a dry, sometime* a wet ditch. 



Rochester cattle, which (tandi on a f mall eminence near the bridge 

 over the Medwsy, i* a fine example of a Norman cairtle of this period. 

 It wa* probably rebuilt by the Korman*. noon after the conquest, on 

 the rite of a more ancient cattle. 



[Rochester Castle and Kcrp.} 



The keep, " which originally consisted of four floors, including the 

 basement or dungeon story, is about 70 feet square at the base, with 

 wall* varying from 18 to 8 feet in thickness, and rising to the height 

 of 105 feet to the top of one of the angular turrets. The walla of the 

 ground-floor slope or bend inwards ; but from that to the top they 

 are continued perpendicularly. Externally there is a pilaster buttress 

 xe of each ride, and at thme angles are square staircase 



the centre 



turret*, and a rounded turret at the fourth angle. At the north face 

 i* a projecting work, forming a *ort of vestibule to the chief entrance 

 door-way to the first floor, and this i* approached by a flight of steps 

 commencing at the western ride, and returning round the corner. The 

 walls, door*, and window* are constructed to repel assailant*. 



" The first ascent was by a flight of twelve or thirteen steps, leading 

 round the north-west angle to an arched door-way, beneath which a 

 flight of seven steps led forward to a draw-bridge that connected with 

 the arched gateway to the entrance-tower : this opened into the vesti- 

 bule, between which and the keep there were no other avenues of 

 communication than by a third arched passage in the thickness of the 

 wall. Thi* latter inlet to the body of the keep was defended by a 

 massive door and portcullis, the hinges and grooves of which remain ; 

 and in the roof are openings for the purpose of showering missiles on 

 the heads of assailants." 



The interior of the keep is divided longitudinally Uy a strong wall 

 into nearly equal part*, which communicate by open arches on each 

 floor. In the centre of this wall is a well of considerable depth, 2 feet 

 9 inches in diameter, neatly wrought, open to the very top of the keep, 

 and communicating with every story. There were three stone floor* 

 besides the basement. " The basement story was low and gloomy ; 

 here the munition and store* for the use of the garriaon were deposited. 

 In the north-east angle is a circular winding stairca*e, communicating 

 from the ground to the summit, and within the south wall is a square 

 passage, or funnel, which also communicates with the upper floors, 

 and from its singularity ha* given rise to much fanciful speculation ; 

 among other conjectures, it ha* been considered to have been used for 

 the conveyance of (ton* to the upper part of the keep." On the 

 side i* a flight of steps leading to what i* known a* the 





is nrt floor, which tniiini to have been that occupied by th* 

 soldiery, and into which was an entrance from without, wa* 22 feet in 

 height. Betide* seven large loophole., larger than those beneath. 



there were two spacious conical Are-place*, the flues of which gradually 

 contracted to the outer part of the walls, where there were small 

 apertures for the smoke. Another, but smaller fireplace is contained 

 in a little apartment within the north-west angle, and here also were 

 two very curiously-contrived and well-defended windows, designed to 

 command a view of what was passing on the steps of entrance. Within 

 the east floor of this wall is a gallery, together with some private 

 apartments, the openings into which were well calculated to secure 

 those who might be there stationed to watch a besieging army. In 

 the south-east angle i* a second circular staircase, which, a* well as 

 that in the opposite tower, opens to the top of the building. 



"The second floor consisted of the state apartment*, 28 feet in 

 height, and was more ornamented and lofty than either of the others. 

 These communicated by four Urge semicircular arches, formed in the 

 partition wall, which wax sustained by massive columns and half 

 columns. Within the thickness of the wall round the upper part of 

 this floor is a gallery which traverses the whole keep, and receives 

 light from without through twenty-five small windows : the exteriors 

 of these were more highly finished than any of the lower openings, 

 and inwardly they appear to have been secured by wooden shutters, 

 the hinge* and bare holes of which still remain. This gallery was also 

 open to the state-apartments by six arches on each side." (Brittou's 

 ' Architectural Antiquities,' vol. iii.) The upper floor was about 16 feet 

 high, and has likewise a gallery, with openings both within and with- 

 out, similar to the preceding. From the remains of a large arch in 

 the south-east corner it seems probable that the chapel was placed 

 here. 



The roof of the keep, as well as the floors, have been destroyed : the 

 former, probably, consisted of a platform on a level with the top of 

 the wall within the parapet : the latter was about 5 feet high, and had 

 embrasures about 2 feet wide. The four towers at the angles ware 

 raised another story, and had also small platforms with parapets and 

 embrasures. The gutters which conveyed the water from the platform 

 still remain. 



The outward walls, which formed an irregular parallelogram of 

 about 300 feet in length, were strengthened by several square and 

 round towers embrasured and provided with loopholes and machicola- 

 tions. On the north-east was the principal entrance, which was de- 

 fended by a tower gateway with outworks at the sides. 



The later Norman castles, of which those of the time of Edward 1. 

 may be regarded as the most perfect example*, covered a much more 

 extensive area, were much more complex and elaborate in plan and 

 more ornamental in design, and presented many of them a magnificent 

 appearance. Such were, among others, those of Windsor, Conway, 

 Caernarvon, Cardiff, Chepstow, Kenilworth, Warwick, Hedingham. P. r 

 Chester, and many more. The keep was of statelier proportions, some- 

 times assuming the character of an open quadrangle or inner baillif, 

 defended by gate-houses and flanked by towers. The base-court was 

 divided into two parts, sometimes into three, the outer baillie, iu 

 which were the stables, and sometimes a mound, or small cavalier : tin- 

 middle baillie, containing the servants' apartments and domestic office*; 

 and the inner baillie (which formed the keep), around which were con- 

 centric line* of defence, and in which were the hall and the chapel, 

 often a very handsome building. The outer walls had embrasures, and 

 were strengthened by turrets, sometimes of the kind called bastions, 

 and towers, occasionally of large size, and cither round, square, or 

 multangular, as the Beauchamp Tower, Warwick Castle. The gate- 

 hotises were distinct works, with large drum or circular towers, as at 

 Chepstow, Beaumaris, &c. ; the entrances were machicolated, had port- 

 cullises, were nearly always approached by drawbridges, and often 

 defended by barbicans. There were also posterns or small doorways in 

 the walls, with or without drawbridges. That these castles were fully 

 adequate to their purpose is shown by their prolonged resistance to 

 considerable forces; and when taken, it was frequently only after 

 repeated attacks, first the barbican, then the outer baillie, then the 

 inner baillie, and at last the great tower, having fallen. 



We give a plan of Porchester Castle, Hampshire, which may serve 

 as an illustration of the way in which some of the larger castle* only 

 reached their ultimate magnitude in the course of a long series of 

 years. Porohester Castle is supposed to occupy the rite of a Roman 

 station. Stow, indeed (' Annals,' p. 12), supposes the founder to have 

 been a Briton, one Gurgunntus. It is rectangular, with lml!n circular 

 towen (a) at the angles and sides. The rites of ilx- K.mi ,:n gates 

 (6, e), most, probably the Decuman and Prtctorian, havu been fitted up 

 with gate* constructed after the Norman style of fortifying cast. 

 entrances. The area of Porchester is 620 feet by 610. At the north- 

 west angle square Norman (or, a* King insists, ' Munimenta Ant.,' ii. 

 28, a Saxon) keep (r), 67 feet by 58, ha* usurped the place of one of 

 the circular Roman tower*. To this tower an addition was subse- 

 quently made, and at the same time an inner baillis or ballium was 

 constructed within the outer baillie formed by the Urge Roman 

 inclosure. This keep was the citadel of the castle, and was the 

 residence of the chief officer. The church in this instance stands at 

 some distance from the keep, it having, as is supposed, been nude to 

 occupy the rite of the Roman sacellum. Close to the Prsetorian gate 

 it is still in good preservation. At Caistor, in Norfolk, the church 

 also occupies th* rite of what was probably the ancient temple. The 

 keep at Porehester stands upon the outward wall of the castle area 



