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Question 73

In an early Norman castle of the motte-and-bailey type, what were the motte and the bailey?

  1. The motte was the water-filled ditch outside and the bailey was the wooden tower above it
  2. The motte was a raised mound with a wooden tower, and the bailey the yard beside itCorrect answer
  3. The motte was the stone keep and the bailey was the tunnel dug beneath it
  4. The motte was the enclosed yard and the bailey was the mound standing at its centre

Explanation

The mound was thrown up first and a timber tower stood on its summit, while the enclosure at its foot held the hall, stables and workshops of the garrison, so the two parts had different heights and different uses. Reading the mound as a ditch fails because that similar-sounding word names a cut dug around the site, whereas the mound was earth piled up above the natural ground.

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Question 73: In an early Norman castle of the motte-and-bailey type,… · Medieval Europe · Questena