Did castles grow their own food?


Did castles grow their own food? They did not enclose corn fields and cattle pastures inside the walls of a castle. Such walls would be too long and need too many people to defend. Most of the food during a siege came from supplies.


Were castles self sufficient?

Most castles didn't rely on external water sources like rivers, which could be polluted by the enemy, but had instead several wells and cisterns. Some had vast enough plains to grow vegetables and livestock too.


Where did castles get their food from?

There were no supermarkets, fridges or freezers during the time of castles. People mostly ate what they could grow or hunt nearby, like local fruit and vegetables.


Did medieval castles have farms?

Why were farms placed outside castles instead of inside castles during medieval times? This was due to the added cost and labor involved in building fortified walls to enclose a large space, and the difficulties of defending a larger area.


How did castles get rid of waste?

Castle toilets, also known as garderobes or latrines, would have a plank of wood with a hole held on stone supports through which waste could be deposited.


Why were castles no longer built after the Middle Ages?

After the 16th century, castles declined as a mode of defense, mostly because of the invention and improvement of heavy cannons and mortars. This artillery could throw heavy cannonballs with so much force that even strong curtain walls could not hold up.