Figure 1 is a Motte-and-Bailey Castle, a form that was common in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Motte and Bailey Castle was developed by the Norman French (Viking descendants) in the 9th century and brought to England by William The Conqueror. A motte is a mound surrounded by a ditch, the bailey is the enclosed courtyard. Early mottes had towers built of wood atop the mound, later towers were made of stone. This castle plan is unusual in that we have two mounds surrounded by a common (ditched) wall, a double mound motte . This motte does not have a bailey and thus might be an unfinished castle. Alternatively, the wooden structures of the bailey may have disintegrated over the centuries leaving no remains. Figure 2 depicts a stone tower which appears to stand alone, without a motte or encirclements. Square towers were characteristic of Britain and can also be termed 'keeps' when their obvious purpose was safe refuge, defense and storage of valuable goods. The Tower of London is England's most famous 'keep'; Figure 3 is a 'birds-eye' view of a Motte-and-Bailey Castle that is similar to that of Figure 1. Without obvious bailey, the structure is perhaps better termed a Motte-and-Keep. Figure 4 depicts a second 'Motte-and-Bailey Castle' in which the walls are well developed in stone with a top walkway. The tower gate also indicates a later date and architectural advance. The round tower or keep sits atop a steep mound and would have provided a highly defendable refuge and storehouse.

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