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Unitof1. A "CASTLE" is a fortifed building. Sometimes made of stone or as the earliest castles where made of wood. Maiden castle, which was a "Hill-fort", had a wooden protective fence around the upper edge of the site, and wooden houses and other structures within, this fenced area. The Saxon and then the Normans, first made their structures of wood. Quite often within the already existing Roman Forts, which where always at strategic locations, next to roads and waterways. Are you still awake ?. Their also stacks of rocks called castles, which have no defenceable value, and are in name only. I hope this has answered your question.:face-approve:
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25th July 2010, 02:46 PM
(This post was last modified: 25th July 2010, 02:48 PM by Misty.)
Here's another one - WANHS archaeology group in Wiltshire have been in digging on Castle Hill in Calne (behind Castle House in the Castle Fields park) and have found some fairly substantial walls and a nicely built well. I think there is something about it on the BBC website and I guess there'll be something on the Devizes Museum website in due course.
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I was looking at some of the sites near me... (I actually dug a Maiden castle in Midlothian... tiny little thing!) but I have a tower house near me called Whittingehame Tower... and then, a bit further on is Gamelshiel Castle... which is smaller... are you only looking at castle names.. or castles in general.
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Minor quibble, don't know if it's an AUP thing or just convention, but I wonder if it's right that a well-known contributor to the forum has been "outed" complete with real name, employer and place of current employment. :face-huh:
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Damn have I been outed?. Oh well I guess it had to happen some time.....I'm sure if Troll cared he would have kept his anonymity for the article in the most recent edition of Past Horizons...
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
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Hi gang. Thanks BARJ. I have Whittinghame listed as a "Castle", Although it is also listed as a Tower. It's one of those "grey areas" especially with Scotland, that have so many "Tower houses", some referred as "Towers" only, and others listed as both "Tower" and "Castle". If you know of any more, please dont hesitate to let me know.
The Invisible man. Your quite right to point out my mistake. I should have asked TROLL first,before disclosing his REAL name and other info, I speak to him daily, but I don't think he minded. He has'nt throne anything at me YET. Infact I have to keep waking him up, once I start talking to him about castles.
Poor chap, he does try to look interested. I just have that knack of boring people. Stop snoring you lot.
Thanks foe the info. please keep it coming.
Regards STEFFAN:face-approve:
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Thanks MISTY. Always interested to know, Who's doing what and where. I am sure that there are still many castle sites still to find. And the more we dig, hopefully, the more we'll find. Although I personnally don't know how to operate a shovel, thank god. I can never find the start button. !!!! stupid or what.
Regards STEFFAN:face-approve:
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Do "Maiden Bowers" count as castles too? Where my grandparents once lived, in Sewell, a hamlet near Houghton Regis in Beds, there is a small IA hillfort of that name (and of probably earlier date) that made the news a few years ago for the wrong reason, having part of its ramparts breached by a big yellow machine. Not a particularly well-known place, but lovely spot to visit (talking twenty years ago, probably now swallowed up by suburbs!). They lived at White Hill Farm, which, maybe, was the site of a farm that could have served the possible Saxon regio at Houghton. I don't know if anyone has excavated there, bet it has an interesting history.
Good luck with your researches.
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Higham and Barker ("Timber Castles" 1992, p.21 in the 2004 2nd ed) suggest that a 'Castle' is "...the private defended residence of the kings and ruling classes of medieval society." That probably trims out a few of the suggestions above :face-approve:
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Thanks Brazier.
I class Maiden Bower as you rightly called it,a "Hillfort", and it's filed in the "Forts" dept. It's a great shame when people distrub ancients sites, especially when the experts have'nt had a chance to do a proper dig on it, yet.
Regards Steffan:face-approve:
