where were motte and bailey castles built in england
Motte-and-bailey castle
In England , William invaded from Normandy in 1066 , resulting in three phases of castle building in England , around 80 % of which were in the motte - and - bailey pattern . The first of these was the establishment by the new king of royal castles in key strategic locations , including many towns . These urban castles could make use of the existing town 's walls and fortification , but typically required the demolition of local houses to make space for them . This could cause extensive damage : records suggest that in Lincoln 166 houses were destroyed , with 113 in Norwich and 27 in Cambridge . The second and third waves of castle building in the late - 11th century were led by the major magnates and then the more junior knights on their new estates . Some regional patterns in castle building can be seen -- relatively few castles were built in East Anglia compared to the west of England or the Marches , for example ; this was probably due to the relatively settled and prosperous nature of the east of England and reflected a shortage of unfree labour for constructing mottes . In Wales , the first wave of the Norman castles were again predominantly made of wood in a mixture of motte - and - bailey and ringwork designs . The Norman invaders spread up the valleys , using this form of castle to occupy their new territories . After the Norman conquest of England and Wales , the building of motte - and - bailey castles in Normandy accelerated as well , resulting in a broad swath of these castles across the Norman territories , around 741 motte - and - bailey castles in England and Wales alone . 
In England , William invaded from Normandy in 1066 , resulting in three phases of castle building in England , around 80 % of which were in the motte - and - bailey pattern . The first of these was the establishment by the new king of royal castles in key strategic locations , including many towns . These urban castles could make use of the existing town 's walls and fortification , but typically required the demolition of local houses to make space for them . This could cause extensive damage : records suggest that in Lincoln 166 houses were destroyed , with 113 in Norwich and 27 in Cambridge . The second and third waves of castle building in the late - 11th century were led by the major magnates and then the more junior knights on their new estates . Some regional patterns in castle building can be seen -- relatively few castles were built in East Anglia compared to the west of England or the Marches , for example ; this was probably due to the relatively settled and prosperous nature of the east of England and reflected a shortage of unfree labour for constructing mottes . In Wales , the first wave of the Norman castles were again predominantly made of wood in a mixture of motte - and - bailey and ringwork designs . The Norman invaders spread up the valleys , using this form of castle to occupy their new territories . After the Norman conquest of England and Wales , the building of motte - and - bailey castles in Normandy accelerated as well , resulting in a broad swath of these castles across the Norman territories , around 741 motte - and - bailey castles in England and Wales alone .
This could cause extensive damage : records suggest that in Lincoln 166 houses were destroyed , with 113 in Norwich and 27 in Cambridge . Some regional patterns in castle building can be seen -- relatively few castles were built in East Anglia compared to the west of England or the Marches. In Wales , the first wave of the Norman castles were again predominantly made of wood in a mixture of motte - and - bailey and ringwork designs . After the Norman conquest of England and Wales , the building of motte - and - bailey castles in Normandy accelerated as well , resulting in a broad swath of these castles across the Norman territories , around 741 motte - and - bailey castles in England and Wales alone .
This could cause extensive damage : records suggest that in Lincoln 166 houses were destroyed , with 113 in Norwich and 27 in Cambridge . Some regional patterns in castle building can be seen -- relatively few castles were built in East Anglia compared to the west of England or the Marches , for example ; this was probably due to the relatively settled and prosperous nature of the east of England and reflected a shortage of unfree labour for constructing mottes . In Wales , the first wave of the Norman castles were again predominantly made of wood in a mixture of motte - and - bailey and ringwork designs . After the Norman conquest of England and Wales , the building of motte - and - bailey castles in Normandy accelerated as well , resulting in a broad swath of these castles across the Norman territories , around 741 motte - and - bailey castles in England and Wales alone .