For much of the nineteenth and earlier twentieth centuries castles were viewed primarily as defensive military fortifications. However, from the late 1970s a revolution in thought began which relied on interpretations based on buildings archaeology and contemporary archives. Slowly, it became apparent that castles were the most complex structures ever built during the mediaeval period.
It became apparent that mediaeval castles are diverse. No two are identical. Stretching across several centuries of use, their design changed radically from their arrival in Britain during the late Saxon period until they faded away in the mid-sixteenth century. They also varied according to the social and economic potential of their patrons. Quite how we define these buildings is a problem and this talk will look at the chronological, social, economic, political and construction issues surrounding them.
The speaker, James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is an award winning buildings archaeologist. He has two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period. He is the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog and his book Historic Building Mythbusting will be released via The History Press on 6 June 2024.
