William believed he had been able to [?] England because they had very few
[?]. He had used castles successfully to control Normandy. Some English villages had earth
ramparts called burhs but they were nothing like [?] castles. William would use
castles as a permanent reminder of Norman rule.

William had castles built all over [?]. They consisted of a motte and a bailey. The
was a large mound, usually about 50 feet
[?] and was built at one side of a circular
. The whole construction was built from earth and
[?] and could be finished in weeks.

A castle provided safety for a [?] and his family. At first barons
lived in the bailey and retreated to the motte to escape from but later they lived in stone keeps.

The castle was a base for the baron's [?] to control the surrounding
countryside and put down any [?]. Law courts were held at the castle and people paid their
there.



They were built quickly all over England but especially on the border of England and Wales and in well populated areas. Very often they would be near
[?] or rivers so they could control the area.

Motte and baileys disadvantages were that because they were made from wood they could [?] or
be burned down by enemies. [?] castles were much stronger than wooden ones and William
encouraged his friends to build in stone as soon as they could. These castles had huge [?] walls, sometimes four metres thick. Soldiers in a castle could hold out for months if they had enough
[?]. Their design changed over time as
developed against them.

However once England settled war was rare and castles were mainly used as . Many
[?] and officials were needed to keep the castle going e.g. bakers,
[?], blacksmiths, carpenters. The most important room in a castle was the great
[?] where the lord held law courts, collected taxes and controlled the
peasants' work on his farm .