The Medieval Castle in England and Wales
A Political and Social History

This pioneering book examines the role of the castle in the Norman conquest of England and in the subsequent administration of the country.

Norman J. G. Pounds (Author)

9780521458283, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 4 November 1993

376 pages, 55 b/w illus. 40 maps
24.4 x 17 x 2 cm, 0.595 kg

'Beautifully produced and lavishly illustrated.' The Black Countryman

This original and pioneering book examines the role of the castle in the Norman conquest of England and in the subsequent administration of the country. The castle is seen primarily as an instrument of peaceful administration which rarely had a garrison and was more often where the sheriff kept his files and employed his secretariat. In most cases the military significance of the castle was minimal, and only a very few ever saw military action. For the first time, the medieval castle in England is seen in a new light which will attract the general reader of history and archaeology as much as the specialist in economic and social history.

Preface
Part I. The First Century of English Feudalism: 1. Castles of the Conquest
2. The castle in politics and war
3. A pattern of castles
Part II. The Thirteenth Century: 4. The royal castle and public administration
5. The castle in peace and war
6. The baronial castle
7. The frontier regions of medieval England
8. Castle and community
9. Castle and church
Part III. The Castle in the Later Middle Ages: 10. The changing role of the castle
11. Tower-house, pele and bastle
12. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], British & Irish history [HBJD1]