Description
This book is in two parts. The first gives an overview of the early history of the country and explains how castles came to be built, and why they were built in the places they were.
The gradual development from a myriad of mottes and baileys with or without stone defences to fewer larger ‘castles’ is traced, along with the plethora of defensible ‘moated sites’, as are the reasons for the declineof those castles and their replacement with homely dwellings.
The second part is a gazetteer, arranged in alphabetical order of parishes, with information given for all the sites in each parish. In some cases where there is a lack of surviving records, and in others where even evidence on the ground is slight, the entries are by necessity sketchy. But for some sites there is a wealth of information. For the castles where there is plenty to see and more to relate, information is given regarding access and what can be seen.
Ron Shoesmith is well known in Herefordshire and wider afield both for his archaeological work on a number of sites and for his historical research across a range of periods. Coupled with his particular interest in castles, this book brings both the historical and archaeological evidence up to date and provides new interpretations for some of the major sites.
Paperback | 320 pages | 216 x 140 mm | 1996, revised 2009
With over 130 illustrations
ISBN 9781906663308
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