How were stone keep castles attacked?

How were stone keep castles attacked? A good way of attacking a stone castle was through mining. Attackers would dig a tunnel underground up to the castle walls, under the gatehouse if possible. They would then set a charge and make an explosion which would make the walls crumble and collapse.

How long did Stone keep castles take to build?

Stone castles were extremely expensive and took a great deal of time to build. If some motte-and-bailey castles could be constructed in less than a month, a medium size stone castle would have taken a minimum of five years to build, while a large size stone castle could take more than a decade.

Why were castles built out of stone and not wood?

They were very vulnerable to attacks using fire and the wood would eventually start to rot. Due to these disadvantages, King William ordered that castles should be built in stone. Many of the original timber castles were replaced with stone castles.

Why didn t armies ignore castles?

A castle was usually so placed that, even if an army could pass by without being hurt by a sortie, when it had passed, it would need supplies and therefore the supplies would be cut off, if the castle was still in enemy hands, because carts drawn by oxen and defended by only few men would be an easier target for a ...

How did castles defend against digging tunnels?

Often, tunnels were dug beneath a castle wall to destabilize and topple it. They supported their tunnels with timbers, which they then burned to collapse the tunnel—and, hopefully, the wall above. To defend themselves, castle dwellers put out a bowl of water and watched for ripples that might indicate digging.

What were the weaknesses of Stone Keep castles?

However there still remained a number of weaknesses within the design of these castles. Stone keeps are square and an attacker could, if they were fortunate enough to get close enough, mine underneath a corner and wait for the weight of the castle to bring the walls caving in.

What is the most defensive castle in the UK?

Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the Key to England due to its defensive significance throughout history.

What is the strongest castle in England?

How thick were stone keep castle walls?

The height of walls varied widely by castle, but were often 2.5–6 m (8.2–19.7 ft) thick. They were usually topped with crenellation or parapets that offered protection to defenders.

What is the safest part of a castle?

What other rooms were there in a Medieval castle? At the time of Chr tien de Troyes, the rooms where the lord of a castle, his family and his knights lived and ate and slept were in the Keep (called the Donjon), the rectangular tower inside the walls of a castle. This was meant to be the strongest and safest place.

Where did soldiers sleep in castles?

THE SOLDIERS They'd be commanded by the constable or castellan, who stood in for the owner and lived in his own rooms (there's a Constable's Gate at Dover Castle). The soldiers slept in a dormitory.