Table Of ContentEver since the Norman invasion the British
castle has occupied a position of dominanoe:
initially in military terms, but later and more
enduringly in the popular imagination. First
built on the motte-and-bailey principle to
control an unruly populace, the nature and
purpose of castles gradually evolved over the
centuries to culminate in the lavishly ornate
structures of the late eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, designed solely as
romantic settings for domestic elegance and
comfort. To call any one castle typically
British would therefore be misleading; in
fact England, Wales and Scotland together
possess one of the largest and most diverse
collections of castles anywhere in the world.
Beginning with the great Iron Age hill
forts, Paul Johnson traces each stage of the
development of Britain,s rich and varied
collection of castles: how advances in the
techniques of warfare were reflected in
increasingly sophisticated methods of
defence; the vital part played by the castle in
social life -both as an expression of the
political and economic conditions of the time
or simply as a rather uncomfortable place in
which to live; the gradual decay of the castle
after' its crucial role in the medieval and
early modern period; and ending with a
chapter on the restoration of several
important castles in the nineteenth century,
as well as the building of some extraordinary
mock ones. Each stage of development is
discussed within the context of the many
castles which can still be seen today, and
their history is vividly illustrated with
contemporary paintings, drawings and
engravings, detailed ground-plans and
modern photographs.
32 illustrations in full colour and over in
170
black and white
THE NATIONA L TRUST
BOOK OF
BRIT ISH CASTLES
PalJu honson
BooCkl uAbs sociates
London
ToG eoarngPdea t
This edition published 1978 by
Book Club Associates
by arrangement with Weidenfeld and Nicolson
and The National Trust
© Paul Johnson 1978
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior permission
of the copyright owner.
· Designed by Ray Carpenter
Colour separations by N ewsele Litho Ltd
Printed in Great Britain by
Cox & Wyman Ltd
London, Fakenham and Reading
CONTENTS
Foreword page 7
CHAP.TER I CHAPTER 2
4
Iron Age to Hastings ---=-✓J�l/ d. -- 'The Norman Yoke'
page 9 page 37
•
CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4
Plantagenet Castles Edwardian Splendour in Wales
page 69 page 101
CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6
The Last of the Feudal Castles Castles and Towers of the Borders
page 125 page 153
CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8
The Scottish Inheritance Stone Walls and Gunpowder
page 181 page 209
CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER I 0
Castles and Sieges of the Civil 'The Monstrous Practice of
War Castle Building'
page 229 page 253
Glossary of Technical Terms Acknowledgements
page 277 page 283
Select Bibliography Index
page 281 page 284
'Antdh etyh sahta bleol ft hsehea bluli ld
thoel wda sptlea ctehsos;uh arlatiu spte h e
foundoaftm iaongnyes n eraatnitdoh noss_h;ua lt
bec allTehdre,e paoiftr heberr each,
Three stoofpr aettrho ds w eilnl'
ISAIAH
Foreword
byt hDei reGcetnoerrD a. Blo]l.e s
The National Trust was formed in London in 1895 'to act as a
corporation for the holding oflands of natural beauty and sites and
houses of historic interest to be preserved intact for the nation's use
and enjoyment'. Over the decades the vision of its three founders,
Octavia Hill, philanthropist, Robert Hunter, Solicitor to the Post
Office and to the Commons Preservation Society, and Hardwicke
Rawnsley, Canon of Carlisle and defender of the Lake District, has
grown and flourished beyond their greatest expectations.
Today the National Trust is Britain's largest landowner and the
greatest guardian of historic houses, their pictures and their fur
niture and their gardens. All this is due to private generosity as the
Trust receives no subsidy from the State; it is a charity dependent on
the support and encouragement of its benefactors, members, vol
untary helpers and the general public. The Trust now has more than
half a million members and it opens those properties where a fee is
charged, each year to more and more visitors - over 4½ million in
1976. Uncounted millions more visit without charge its open
spaces, archaeological sites, coastline, woodlands and nature
reserves. It is for this reason that the Trust can be described as
'National': it exists to preserve for and to offer pleasure to, a
growing number of people who -value the best of Britain's past.
In recognition of this great interest in the British heritage and
because the Trust believes that a deeper knowledge of a subject leads
to a greater enjoyment, it has been delighted to be associated in
recent years with various television series and publications on dif
ferent aspects of its work. So it is with great pleasure that the Trust
welcomes the publication of Paul Johnson's fascinating history of
British castles.
7
CHAPTER I
Iron Age to Hastings
