Castle review thread.

[Speaker to Animals]

I'd imagine salvaging stonework from any defensive structure no matter how old without the lord's permission was a big no-no.

Peasants likely possessed little idea what defensive structures might still be important or really anything about defending the land, much like the SubaruFlounders of today.

[Montegriffo]

There's a ballista too if you're into that sort of thing.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Poor mans trebuchet.

I really wonder what kind of use a ballista would be in medieval warfare, other than intimidation. You might spear 2 guys with it, in the open field before they close, but that’s about it...

Seems like it would have worked better for the navy.

[BjornP]

Should probably have amended my question abit, because it's just as much a pondering of why local lords didn't order their peasants to repurpose the stone. After all, up untill fairly modern times, the thought of protecting centuries old buildings for their historical value in itself, wouldn't have occurred to people.

Of course, in hindsight, it's a good thing they were allowed to stay standing for so long. The pictures really are stunning.

[Montegriffo]

I don't really know the answer to that. I guess there was a bit of family pride involved as the only person who could have ordered it was the legitimate owner. During the mid 17th century while the civil war was raging around her Lady Anne Clifford (descendant of Edward's right hand man in the north Roger Clifford) started a campaign to restore 5 of the family"s castles and is now seen as a saviour of them.
It did happen and many places did lose stones. The priory at Lanercost that I visited contained stones from Hadrian's wall and even a Roman altar stone repurposed as a door lintel.
You are right about most people not really caring about preserving old buildings and places of historical importance though.
Visitors to Stonehenge were able to hire a hammer and chisel so they could take a little bit home with them.

[Montegriffo]

Poor mans trebuchet.

I really wonder what kind of use a ballista would be in medieval warfare, other than intimidation. You might spear 2 guys with it, in the open field before they close, but that’s about it...

Seems like it would have worked better for the navy.

They were used by attackers to smash the wooden parapets on top of the walls and by defenders to harass the siege engines and towers of the attacking forces.
Strike me as little better than a filthy catapult really but they go back to ancient Greek times and to be still in use more than a thousand years later they must have been fairly effective weapons.
Ballistae were used mainly in early mediaeval times before the era of stone castles. Remember that for at least a century after the Norman conquest castles and their outer walls were still built of wood on earthen defence works. By the 13th century stone castles and the trebuchet had made them virtually obsolete.

[Montegriffo]

So I nearly made it to Ludlow, I was very disciplined today. I drove past Chirk, Whittington, Shrewsbury and Acton Burnel castles without stopping but I couldn't resist Stokesay.Who could?




Closed by the time I got here but I decided to park up and wait for morning.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Wow that’s a pretty one.

[Montegriffo]

In the 19th century, after this place was no longer used as a residence the buildings were used for agricultural purposes.
In the basement of the heart shaped tower a forge was used by a blacksmith. The forge set fire to the tower and you can still see the scorch marks in the stone.
TC's ancestors aren't from Shropshire are they?

[SuburbanFarmer]

In the 19th century, after this place was no longer used as a residence the buildings were used for agricultural purposes.
In the basement of the heart shaped tower a forge was used by a blacksmith. The forge set fire to the tower and you can still see the scorch marks in the stone.
TC's ancestors aren't from Shropshire are they?