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Position:Home>History> How many castles did William the conqueror build while in power in England?


Question:any statistics on this?

how many in the first 5 years? or something like that


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: any statistics on this?

how many in the first 5 years? or something like that

I'm finding snippets of information rather than definitive lists. Hope this helps:

William consolidated his conquest by starting a castle-building campaign in strategic areas. Originally these castles were wooden towers on earthen 'mottes' (mounds) with a bailey (defensive area) surrounded by earth ramparts, but many were later rebuilt in stone. By the end of William's reign over 80 castles had been built throughout his kingdom, as a permanent reminder of the new Norman feudal order.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page18.as...

No-one is quite sure how many motte and bailey castles were built in England by the Normans. However, by counting the number of mottes that exist in England, archaeologists believe that the Normans built around 500 - one every two weeks between 1066 and 1086.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/mot...

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_...
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle...
http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/normans...

England had few, if any, stone castles before the Conqueror. After him, the landscape was transformed: 84 built by 1100. These castles were always given to Norman lords and many were built in areas prone to rebellion.
http://www.the-orb.net/textbooks/westciv...