Stone Keeps

Stone keeps were first implemented by the Normans, first by replacing the wood towers on the motte and bailey castles with stone, and eventually building square, rectangular, or circular stone keeps on flat ground.  A keep, also called a great tower or donjon, was essentially a stone tower with several rooms within it, able to house a group of soldiers.  A shell keep, seen below, was a motte and bailey castle where the motte wall had been replaced by stone.  Eventually four keeps were built all around each motte, one at each corner, and connected by a wall 8-10 feet thick and 20-25 feet high, creating what was called a curtain wall or plantagenet castle.

For Further Information:

• Norman Castles in Scotland
• Keeps and Towers
• The English Medieval Castle
• Stone Keep Castles
• History of Medieval Castles
• Interpretation of Building Analysis of Castle Tioram, Scotland

A shell keep - the wooden walls of the motte and bailey have been replaced by stone.