It was difficult enough for my Jones surname ancestors to survive all those Norman-French speakers. They were the ones who dug the trenches, who pilled up all that dirt, and who cut down all those trees to plant those motte and bailey things all over the place. Just a few months to build and, they were not going away on their own accord. Needless to say, they were just a shadow of things to come.
Military Cathedrals to their god of war they could be called. Stone upon stone, taking years to build. A fellow named Edward I built 10 to his delight. The first three were started in 1283 and the last in 1295. Lots and lots of folks were needed after a good looking rocky crag near the sea was chosen. Hum, lets see...for one stone edifice you would need diggers (115), masons (227), wood cutters, carpenters (22), smiths (30), quarriers (115) and lots and lots of laborers and other workers (546). This story is told in some detail in the book by Michael Prestwich.
On pages 112 and 113 he shows the ground plans for six of these castles giving a good idea of how much stone it would have taken. Now, a little closer look at this stone!
You would certainly have to dig way down to build way up.
Helpful References for this period of my families' history.
Prestwich, M., Edward I, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1988.
Robinson, D., Heritage In Wales, Queen Anne Press, London, 1989.
Kightly, C., Strongholds Of The Realm, Thames and Hudson, London, 1979.
The Wales Tourist Board 1982, The Automobile Association 1982, Castles In Wales. See last post.
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