The Motte and Bailey castles were appealing for a variety of reasons. They could be created in a matter of hours and used just minimal materials (such as earth and wood). This meant that they were incredibly inexpensive to produce. In addition, because they were so easy to build, many commoners had access to a castle fortress. These people would otherwise not have been able to protect themselves if attacked by soldiers or bandits.
Motte and Bailey castles are also easy to defend. The earthen mounds that they are built on act as effective defensive structures. Even though they are basically open areas surrounded by walls, attackers would have to deal with our men at arms (soldiers) before reaching their targets inside the fortifications.
Last but not least, these castles look cool! Although they aren't as impressive as some other types of castles, they give the viewer an idea of how strong and capable the builder was. A Motte and Bailey castle allows its owner to show off his/her wealth and power without spending a lot of money or time building a traditional stone structure.
Constructing motte and bailey castles was an efficient method of protecting communities that had succumbed to his rule. Despite the fact that a timber construction was far more vulnerable to attack than a stone structure, a motte and bailey castle could be erected rapidly until the Normans had the opportunity to create more permanent stone fortifications.
In addition, these castles served as symbols of authority for their creators; the mound that signaled the presence of the castle and the bailey that enclosed it provided notice to intruders that they were not welcome. "Motte and bailey" became a term used to describe any fortress built using this technique.
These castles were also convenient to use the area surrounding them for grazing livestock or growing crops. A lord who wanted to protect a portion of his land used this technique, but there are also examples where entire villages constructed themselves with this method before submitting to Norman rule.
Finally, these castles were inexpensive to build. A motte can be made from earth easily obtained locally, while the bailey requires only a wooden frame and some stone. There is evidence of hundreds of these castles being built throughout England during the early years after the Conquest.
As you can see, this is a very effective defense mechanism that did not require much in the way of resources.
Originally, these castles were built entirely of wood and soil; they were inexpensive and simple to make, and they didn't require any specific design. The fortress was made out of a wooden keep perched on an elevated earthwork known as a motte, overlooking an enclosed courtyard known as the bailey. As technology advanced, so did the defenses available to attackers.
Mottes are large mounds of dirt or stone that are used as bases for defense buildings. They can be used instead of or in addition to walls. When used as a defensive structure alone, they offer no territory in which to operate. However, if they are placed at the center of a fortified enclosure called a bailey, they can be very effective at stopping attacks from outside the castle and providing cover for soldiers inside the castle walls. In addition, they can be used to great effect in sowing confusion among enemies by using them to attack from multiple sides at once.
The original wood and earth forts were not meant to withstand long fights; rather, they were built as places where defenders could gather and protect themselves while waiting for allies or reinforcements to arrive. As military technology improved, so too did the defenses available to attackers. With new materials now being used to build armies, the need for better defenses grew increasingly apparent.
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