British Fortifications Through the Reign of Richard III An Illustrated History

319 Pages·2012·29.778 MB·English

British Fortifications Through
the Reign of Richard III
ALSOBYJEAN-DENISG.G. LEPAGE
ANDFROMMCFARLAND
Vauban and the French Military Under Louis XIV (2010)
Aircraft of the Luftwaffe, 1935–1945: An Illustrated Guide(2009)
French Fortifications, 1715–1815: An Illustrated History(2009)
Hitler Youth, 1922–1945: An Illustrated History(2009)
The French Foreign Legion: An Illustrated History(2008)
German Military Vehicles of World War II:
An Illustrated Guide to Cars, Trucks, Half-Tracks,
Motorcycles, Amphibious Vehicles and Others(2007)
The Fortifications of Paris: An Illustrated History (2006; paperback 2010)
Medieval Armies and Weapons in Western Europe:
An Illustrated History(2005)
Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe:
An Illustrated History(2002; paperback 2011)
British Fortifications
Through the Reign
of Richard III
An Illustrated History
J -D G.G. L
EAN ENIS EPAGE
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Lepage, Jean-Denis.
British fortifications through the reign of Richard III :
an illustrated history / Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-5918-6
softcover : acid free paper
1. Fortification—Great Britain—History. 2. Siege warfare—
Great Britain—History. 3. Great Britain—History, Military. I. Title.
UG429.G7L47 2012 725'.18—dc23 2011041026
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
©2012 Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Front cover image © 20¡2 Shutterstock
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Acknowledgments
The author wishes to express his gratitude to Jeannette à
Stuling, Anne Chauvel, Michèle Clermont, Véronique Janty,
Antoinette-Anna Genessey and Nicole-Juliette Lapaux, Jan à Stul-
ing, Siepje Kroonenberg, Eltjo de Lang and Ben Marcato, and
Simone and Bernard Lepage. Also great thanks to the artists Alan
Sorell, Peter Fraser and Andrew Spatt, whose excellent works have
been the inspiration for some of the illustrations.
v
This page intentionally left blank
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments v
Introduction 1
Part 1. Prehistoric Fortifications
The Celts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Hill Forts in Scotland . . . . . . . . . .25
Hill Forts and Oppida . . . . . . . . . . .8 Hill Forts in Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Hill Forts in England Other Forms of Fortifications . . . .38
and Wales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Part 2. Roman Fortifications in Britain A.D.43–409
The Roman Empire Britannia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
and Its Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Camps and Forts . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Roman Engineering Corps . . . . . .55
Roman Urban Fortifications . . . . .89
Part 3. Early Medieval Fortifications A.D.409–1066
Anglo- Saxon Invasion . . . . . . . . . .99 Burhs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Danish Invasions . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Siege Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Dikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Part 4. Norman Castles 1066–1154
The Normans and England . . . . .117 Shell- Keeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Norman Military Architecture . .122 Stone Keeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Motte- and- Bailey Castles . . . . . .124 Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Part 5. Early Plantagenet Fortifications 1154–1327
Historical Background . . . . . . . .161 Siege Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
vii
viii Table of Contents
Evolution of Castles in the 12th Edwardian Castles . . . . . . . . . . . .202
and 13th Centuries . . . . . . . . .178
Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Part 6. Late Plantagenet Fortifications 1327–1485
Historical Background . . . . . . . . .231 Urban Fortifications . . . . . . . . . . .252
Development of Castles in the Tower Houses in the North . . . .281
14th and 15th Centuries . . . . .238
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291
Appendix 1: Maps of the Main Castles in the British Isles 295
Appendix 2: Conservation Organizations 301
Appendix 3: Kings and Queens (from A.D. 802 to 1485) 304
Bibliography 305
Index 307
Introduction
From the most remote past man’s building efforts and resources have been
devoted to meeting his most important needs, such as accommodation (houses),
worship (temples), and burial (tombs), as well as defense, which has occupied a
prominent place in all periods of the history of mankind. Indeed, one of man’s first
needs is security and its pursuit is among the most ancient of human endeavors. An
area of protection for the family hearth, tribe and social group has always been nec-
essary to preserve survival, food stores, stored goods, institutions, language and cul-
ture. Aggression, by an opposite if not always equal reaction, stimulates defense.
A strategic position, a convenient anchorage or harbor, the availability of water,
the arability of land and mineral deposits all added to the value of certain locations
and made them worth the extra effort to defend and attack. Fortifications appeared
in the earliest stage of urbanization at Jericho in Palestine in c. 7000 B.C., and ever
since have been recorded in all areas of the world.
Many countries have experienced internal unrest at some time in their past, and
Great Britain is certainly no exception. Its turbulent history has seen battles between
the Irish and the English, the House of York and the House of Lancaster, the Royal-
ists and the Parliamentarians, and Jacobites and Hanoverians. To internal unrest has
been added the danger of foreign invasion. From the time the Romans first landed
on British shores the islands have lived with the constant threat of invasion, although
the last successful invader was William the Conqueror in 1066 (some would argue
William of Orange in 1689, but he was formally “invited”). Since that time, varying
types of fortification have been created around the coasts to repel further invasions
from the Spanish, French, Dutch and, most recently, Germans. The British Isles can-
not claim the full span of more than 9000 years, but they have participated fully in
the history of fortifications. Defensive works were needed because the waters around
Britain, the Channel and the North Sea far from being a protective moat, were inva-
sion highways tempting intruders to penetrate to the very vitals of the nation. This
had been the case for thousands of years before the Norman invasion of 1066. Ever
since Julius Caesar first set foot on England’s shore in 55 B.C., a constant stream of
invaders has inexorably followed. The Romans returned in A.D.43, followed by north
German barbarian tribes after A.D.400, and lastly the Vikings from the 8th century.
The physical memorials to these ancient invaders are still numerous and architec-
turally significant, embracing such varied structures as Iron Age hill forts, Roman
1