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Earlier fortified structures, such as the Saxon burh or the Iron Age hill fort, provided public or communal defences, as did medieval town or city walls. Typically, a castle was the residence of a feudal lord, providing the owner with a secure base from which to control his lands, and also a symbol of wealth and power. Pendennis Castle, Cornwall: a 16th-century Henrician CastleĬastles differed from earlier fortifications in that they were generally private fortified residences. Many took the form of the pele tower, a smaller, more modest version of the castle keep, and many of these still survive, often incorporated in later buildings. In the far north of England, where conditions remained unsettled, fortified buildings continued to be built as late as the 16th century, not only by the rich and powerful but by any with adequate means, as defence not against great armies, but against the notorious Border Reivers. During the 14th century, largely as a result of the decline of feudalism, the construction of strong castles began to decline, in favour of more lightly fortified structures often described as fortified manor houses. The two principal elements in their construction were the great tower or keep, such as the White Tower, and the fortified enclosure, such as is provided by the outer wall of the Tower of London.

Ĭastles continued to be built in England for several hundred years, reaching a peak of military sophistication in the late 13th century. Some were later rebuilt in stone, but there are a great many castle sites in England where all that is visible today are traces of earthworks. Whilst a few important castles, such as the White Tower in the Tower of London, were built of stone, most early castles were motte-and-bailey castles of earthwork and timber, which could be constructed quickly. A few castles are known to have been built in England before the Normans invaded in 1066 a great many were built in the years following, the principal mechanism by means of which the Normans were able to consolidate their control over the country. The first castles appeared in France in the 10th century, and in England during the 11th century. The present list includes more than 800 medieval castles of which there are visible remains, with over 300 having substantial surviving stone or brick remains.Ī castle is a type of fortified structure, developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Many of these castles have vanished or left almost no trace. The Castellarium Anglicanum, an authoritative index of castles in England and Wales published in 1983, lists over 1,500 castle sites in England.

Before the list itself, a discussion of its scope includes lengthy lists of buildings excluded from the main lists for various reasons. In order to establish a list that is as far as possible comprehensive as well as consistent, it is necessary to establish its boundaries. The criteria adopted for inclusion in the list include such factors as: how much survives from the medieval period how strongly fortified the building was how castle-like the surviving building is whether the building has been given the title of "castle" how certain it is that a medieval castle stood on the site, or that the surviving remains are those of a medieval castle how well-known or interesting the building is and whether including or excluding a building helps make the list, in some measure, more consistent. In other respects it is difficult to identify clear and consistent boundaries between two sets of buildings, comprising those that indisputably belong in a list of castles and those that do not. Fortifications from before the medieval period are not listed, nor are architectural follies. For several reasons, whether a given site is that of a medieval castle has not been taken to be a sufficient criterion for determining whether or not that site should be included in the list.Ĭastles that have vanished or whose remains are barely visible are not listed, except for some important or well-known buildings and sites. In almost every case the buildings that survive are either ruined, or have been altered over the centuries.

It is not a list of every castle ever built in England, many of which have vanished without trace, but is primarily a list of buildings and remains that have survived. This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence.