Norman Castles
Go back to The Normans.
See also Lord of the Manor, William Peverel and Lords of the Manor after William Peverel.
During the time of the Norman kings
more than a thousand castles were built
in England. There were 20 castles in Nottinghamshire.
The Norman kings
William I The Conqueror
- reigned 1066-1087
William II (William Rufus)
- reigned 1087-1100
Henry I - reigned 1100-1135
Stephen - reigned 1135-1154
A thousand castles
-
The King's castles
Some castles were built by the King to keep control over the Anglo-Saxons. After all, there were some 2 million conquered Anglo-Saxons in England ruled over by only 4000 Normans. Famous among the castles built by William the Conqueror are the Tower of London, Windsor Castle and Nottingham Castle.
-
Lords' castles
Other castles were built by the lords of the manor. These were lords (barons) who came over from Normandy and fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.
They built a castle to make it very clear to the Anglo-Saxons who was now in charge. Belvoir Castle was built by Robert de Todeni who was a close friend of William the Conqueror - he was given 80 manors in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Yorkshire.
- Other castles were built by the lords of the manor for protection during the civil war (The Anarchy) when two cousins both claimed the throne: Matilda and Stephen were both grandchildren of King William the Conqueror. Aslockton Castle may have been one of these.
Nottingham Castle
did not look like this in Norman times!
The 'castle' we see today was a large mansion built in 1679 by the Duke of Newcastle on the site of the medieval castle. It is known as the Ducal Palace and is now a museum.
The Norman castle
may have looked like this
- a motte and bailey castle.
←
The first castle at Nottingham was built by William Peverel for the King, William the Conqueror. William Peverel was born in Normandy in France and was a close friend of Duke William. He sailed with his soldiers across the English Channel to fight for William against the Anglo-Saxons. William Peverel was the lord of the manors of Langar and Barnstone (and many others).
During the Middle Ages the Nottingham Castle was rebuilt in stone and over the years it was gradually enlarged. In 1651 during the English Civil War, the castle was destroyed by Parliament to prevent the Royalists from using it. All that remains now of the medieval castle is the gatehouse.
The castle was rebuilt in 1679 by the very wealthy Duke of Newcastle as a large mansion. It is known as the Ducal Palace.
Nottingham Castle is now a Nottingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Belvoir Castle
did not look like this in Norman times!
The first motte and bailey castle here was built by Robert de Todeni, a knight who came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror.
Robert de Todeni was Duke William's standard bearer - he carried the flag. He was an important man - William gave him the lordship of 80 manors in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Yorkshire.
The castle you see today was built in 1816 by Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Rutland. ↓
A motte and bailey castle
The first castle would have looked like the drawing below of a motte and bailey castle. There was a mound or hill, called a motte, with a wooden watchtower on top. This is a good position for a castle on top of the hills of the Belvoir Ridge from where you can see for miles across the Nottinghamshire countryside.
There was a strong fence with a ditch surrounding the bailey, the area where the lord's house was with stables, store rooms and a blacksmith's forge.
Belvoir Castle has been rebuilt three times since then. The present castle was built after in 1816.
Aslockton Castle
did not look like this in Norman times!
Aslockton is a village 6 miles north of Langar. It is the site of a Norman castle, but all you can see today is a small grass-covered hill that was the motte of Aslockton Castle. A wooden tower would have stood here.
The castle fell out of use during the Middle Ages and is now a field for grazing cattle.