Motte-and-Bailey Castles: Locations Across Medieval Europe

Motte-and-bailey castles—earthwork mounds (motte) with wooden/stone keeps and enclosed courtyards (bailey)—proliferated across medieval Europe and the Crusader Levant. Key concentrations:

• England: Arundel, Baynard's, Durham, Hedingham, Kenilworth, Ludlow, Pembroke, Peveril, Richmond, Rochester, Scarborough, Skipsea, Sleaford, Tewkesbury, Tonbridge, Wallingford, Windsor, York.
• France/Normandy: Numerous early examples; model for post-Conquest England.
• Ireland: Cahir (12th c.), others from Anglo-Norman invasion.
• Wales: Pembroke, other Marcher lordships.
• Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, Baltics: Adapted to local conditions.
• Crusader States: Strategic frontier fortifications.

These castles were rapid to build, defensible, and ideal for controlling conquered territories.