Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 5, BUR-CHI

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flyles them very nefts of devils, and dens of thieves.
Caftles were not folely in the poffeHion of the crown
and the lay barons, but even biihops had thefe fortrefles j
though it feems to have been contrary to the canons,
from a plea made ufe of in a general council, in favour
of King Stephen, who had feized upon the ftrong
caftles of the biihops of Lincoln and Salifbury. This
prohibition (if fuch exifted) was, however, very little
regarded ; as in the following reigns many flrong
places were held, and even defended, by the eccieliaf-
tics : neither was more obedience afterwards paid to a
decree made by the pope at Viterbo, the fifth of the
kalends of June x 220, wherein it was ordained, that no
perfon in England fhould keep in his hands more than
two of the king’s caftles.
The licentious behaviour of the garrifons of thefe
places becoming intolerable, in the treaty between
King Stephen and Henry II. when only duke of
Normandy, it was agreed, that all the caftles built
within a certain period ihould be demolifhed 5 in con-
fequence of which many were actually rated, but not
the number ftipulated.
The few cattles in being under the Saxon govern¬
ment, were probably, on occafion of v'ar_ or ipvafions,
garrifoned by the national militia, and at other times
llightly guarded by the domeftics of the princes or
great perfonages who refided therein j but after the
Conqueft, when all '• z eftates were converted into ba¬
ronies held by knight’s fervice, caftle guard coming
under that denomination, was among the duties to
which particular tenants were liable. From thefe fer-
vices the bifhops and abbots, who till the time of the
Normans had held their lands in frank almoign, or free
aims, were, by this new regulation, not exempted j
they were not indeed, like the laity, obliged toperfonal
iervice, it being fuflicient that they provided fit and
able perfons to officiate in their Head. This was how¬
ever at firft floutly oppofed by Anfelm archbifhop of
Canterbury j who being obliged to find fome knights
to attend King William Rufus in bis wars in Wales,
complained of it as an innovation and infringement of
the rights and immunities of the church.
It was no uncommon thing for the Conqueror and
the kings of thofe days to grant eflates to men of ap¬
proved fidelity and valour, on condition that they
fhould perform caitle guard in the royal caflles, with a
certain number of men, for fome fpecified time j and
fometimes they were likewife bound by their tenures
to keep in repair and guard fome particular tower or
bulwark, as was the cafe at Dover caftle.
In procefs of time thefe fervices were commuted for
annual rents, fometimes flyled wardpenny, and waytfee,
but commonly cajlleguard rents, payable on fixed days,
under prodigious penalties called furji%es. At Rochef-
ter, if a man failed in the payment of his rent of caflle
guard on the feait of St Andrew, bis debt was doubled
every tide during the time for which the payment was
delayed. Thefe were afterwards reftrained by an a£t of
parliament made in the reign of King Henry VIII.
and finally annihilated, with the tenures by knight’s
fervice in the time of Charles II. Such caftles as were
private property were guarded either by mercenary fol-
diers, or the tenants of the lord or owner.
Caflles which belonged to the crown, or fell to it
either by forfeiture or efeheat, (circumftances that fre-
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quently happened in the diflraaed reigns of the feudal Caflle.
times), were generally committed to the cuftody of —
fome trufly perfon, who feems to have been indifferently
ityled governor and conftable. Sometimes alfo they
were put into the pofTeffion of the ffienfi ol the county,
who often converted them into prilons. That officer
vas then accountable at the exchequer, for the farm
or produce of the lands belonging to the places intruft-
ed to bis care, as wHl as all other profits ; he was
likewife, in cafe of war or invafion, obliged to victual
and furnifh them with munition out of the illucs of
his county j to which he was direfled by writ of privy
feal.
The materials of which caflles were built, varied
according to the places of their ereflion: but the
manner of their conitruflion feems to have been pretty
uniform. The outlides of the wails were generally
built with the Hones nearefl at hand, laid as regularly
as their fhapes would admit} the iniides were filled up
with the like materials, mixed with a great quantity of
fluid mortar, which was called by the workmen grout-
work.
The general ffiape or plan of thefe caflles depended
entirely on the caprice of the architefts, or the form
of the ground intended to be occupied j neither do -
they feem to have confined themfelves to any particular
figure in their towers; fquare, round, and polygonal,
oftentimes occurring in the original parts of the fame,
building.
The fituation of the caftles of the Anglc-Norman-
kings and barons was moft commonly on an eminence,
and near a river •, a fituation on feveral accounts eli¬
gible. The whole fite of the cattle (which was fre¬
quently of great extent and irregular figure) was fur-
rounded by a deep and broad ditch, fometimes filled-
w ith w ater, and fometimes dry, called the fojfe. Be¬
fore the great gate was an outwork, called a barbacan^
or antemural, which was a ftrong and high-wall, with
turrets upon it, defigried for the defence of the gate
and drawbridge. On the infide of the ditch flood the
wall of the caflle, about eight or ten feet thick, and
between 20 and 30 feet high, with a parapet, and a
kind of embrafures called crennels on the top. On
this wall, at proper diftances, fquare towers of two or
three flories high were built, which ferved for lodging
foma of the principal officers of the proprietor of the
caflle, and for other purpofes: and on the infide were
eredled lodgings for the common fervants or retainers,
granaries, ftorehoules, and other neceflary offices. On
the top of this wall, and on the flat roofs of thefe
buildings, flood the defenders of the caftle, when it
■ wras belieged, and from thence difeharged arrows, darts,
and ftones on the befiegers. The great gate of the
cattle flood in the courfe of this w all, and was ftrongly
fortified with a tow'er on each fide, and rooms over the
paffage, which was clofed with thick folding doors of
oak, often plated with iron, and with an iron portcullis
or grate let down from above. Within this outward
wall was a large open fpace or court, called, in the
largefl and moll perfedt caftles, the outer bay/e, or bn/-
iium7 in which flood commonly a church or chapel.
On the infide of this outer bayle was another ditch,
wall, gate, and towers, enclofing the inner bayle or
court, within which the chief tower or keep was built.
This was a very large fquare fabric, four or five flories
high,.