Inner and outer baileys/wards

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Topic: Inner and outer baileys/wards

stmartin
Member

posted 11-12-99 07:57 AM

What were the "typical" buildings in the inner and outer baileys of an English castle? Was the chapel usually in the inner bailey?

Philip Davis
unregistered

posted 11-12-99 02:40 PM

You are quite right to put typical in inverted commas, all castles are unique in design. It is also probable true that most castles were relatively small structures of earth and wood with only a motte and one bailey (and many didn't even have the motte). So for most castles all the buildings except the keep were in the inner bailey.
However for larger castles the with several baileys the high status building were in the inner bailey. These would include;
1. The Great Hall. The prime meeting and eating hall, were many would also sleep. In a major castle there may be a 'Royal' Hall used for grand state occasions, a 'lords' Hall used by the lord when he was resident in this castle (Great lords had many castles and moved around them) and a Castellian's Hall used by the chap who was in charge of looking after the castle when the lord was away.
2. The Kitchen, Pantry and Buttery. The pantry is where dry goods were stored, including bread (Pan in french). The buttery is where liquid goods were kept (ale and wine) in large barrels called butts [Butter is kept in a dairy]. These food stores were important (and some foods were expensive) and had to be well protected.
3. The lords solar, or private chambers, the suite of private rooms used by the lord and his family. In a large castle a 'Royal' solar might also exist for visited high status guests.
4. Guest chambers for other guests and important hangers on. One way a lord showed his might was by having a large household of lesser lords (or those not expected to inherit a title- ie younger brothers of lords). Some of these guest chambers may have been in the towers of the castle wall, including those of the outer bailey.
5. Certainly a chapel, but castles often have several chapels, small ones as part of the lords solar, larger ones in the inner bailey. Even small castles had large chapels near by in the parish church, which, although it usually stood outside the castle, it was most often close by.
The outer bailey would have the lower status buildings, stables, workshops, possible a kiln for making lime, barns and farm buildings and accommodation for common soldiers etc. These builders were always cheaply built, usually of wood, wattle, daub and thatch or possible thin stone walls and very few indeed remain. I imagine that in the rare occasions when a castle had an army garrisoned on it temporary preaching platforms for a friar would be erected in the outer bailey.

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