posted 01-16-2007 07:14 AM         

This is what I've written so far-

During the 11th century when castles were first built by the Normans, their main purpose was to secure Williams hold over England. He built several, simple castles to intimidate people, conquer the country and ensure that the rebellions by the English people or his own followers would not succeed.
From the 11th century through to the 15th, the function of castles changed. They were used by Kings and barons against each other. This started as English landowners acting bitter towards the Normans who had land given to them and then, over the centuries, became rivalries between barons for land, as land meant power.
The function of castles changed again and they became a less violent way of showing power and wealth. They were stately homes that were converted to impressive buildings that were a little more comfortable to live in. This continued through the 18th century.
As people lost their interest in living in castles in the 19th century (to present) they became tourist attractions, art galleries and museums for example. Nottingham Castle was the first municipal art gallery to open in the UK outside London and is still used as a museum today.

posted 08-02-2007 06:20 AM         

Others (like York) were used as Armouries in the same time period.