Overview

Castles and the Anglo-Norman World draws together a series of 20 papers by 26 French and English specialists in the field of Anglo-Norman studies. It includes summaries of current knowledge and new research into important Norman castles in England and Normandy, drawing on information from recent excavations. Sections consider the evolution of Anglo-Norman castles, the architecture and archaeology of Norman monuments, Romanesque architecture and artefacts, the Bayeux Tapestry and the presentation of historic sites to the public. These studies are presented together with a consideration of the 12th century cross-Channel Norman Empire, which provides a broader context. This work is the result of a conference held at Norwich Castle in 2012, which was part of a collaboration between professionals in the fields of archaeology, architecture, museums and heritage, under the banner of the Norman Connections Project.

Full Product Details

Author:   John A. Davies ,  Angela Riley ,  Jean-Marie Levesque ,  Charlotte Lapiche
Publisher:   Oxbow Books
Imprint:   Oxbow Books
Dimensions:   Width: 21.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 28.00cm
Weight:   1.406kg
ISBN:  

9781785700224

ISBN 10:   1785700227
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   31 March 2016
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Contributors Acknowledgements Preface George Nobbs Introducing Norman Connections John A. Davies, Angela Riley, Jean-Marie Levesque and Charlotte Lapiche Foreword: Living in the Twelfth-Century Cross-Channel Empire David Bates The Norman Connections Castles Norwich Castle Elizabeth Popescu `...traces of the original disposition of the whole'. Excavated Evidence for the Construction of Norwich Castle Keep Brian Ayers The Shifting Structure of Norwich Castle Keep, 1066 to c.1230 T. A. Heslop Colchester Castle:`Some tyme stronge and statelye, as the ruynes do shewe' Peter Berridge Rochester Castle Marc Morris Le chateau de Falaise : bilan de 150 ans de restaurations dans plus de 1000 ans d'histoire Charlotte Lapiche et Benoit Panozzo Le chateau de Caen Jean-Marie Levesque et Pascal Leroux The Great Hall of the Dukes of Normandy in the Castle at Caen Edward Impey and John McNeill The Castles in Context Chateaux et residences princieres dans la Tapisserie de Bayeux Pierre Bouet Visible from Afar? The Setting of the Anglo-Norman Donjon Jon Gregory and Robert Liddiard Some Thoughts on the Use of the Anglo-Norman Donjon Pamela Marshall Recent Archaeological Research Recent Research on the White Tower: Reconstructing and Dating the Norman Building Roland Harris Castle Heritage (Tenth to Thirteenth Centuries) in Lower Normandy and the Current State of Archaeological Research Francois Fichet de Clairfontaine Recent Excavations at Caen Castle (2005 to 2014): Medieval Forges and Renaissance Stable Benedicte Guillot Presenting the Sites Le chateau de Falaise (Calvados) :etat des connaissances sur l'evolution du site castral du dixieme siecle au treizieme siecle Francois Fichet de Clairfontaine, Joseph Mastrolorenzo et Richard Brown The Question of Site Enhancement in Rural Contexts: Examples of Projects Managed by the Calvados Departmental Council (Conseil General du Calvados), Lower Normandy Nicola Coulthard Sculpture and Objects The Evolution of Capitals in Early Post-Conquest Architecture as Evidence for the Completion Date of the White Tower John Crook Anglo-Norman Elite Objects from Castle and Countryside Steven Ashley Index

Reviews

Many of the essays are site specific, but throughout there are thoughtful insights: on Norman monuments, Romanesque architecture and artefacts, the Bayeux tapestry and the presentation of sites to the public. -- British Archaeology Magazine British Archaeology Magazine Nicely produced, with effective use of colour, and with abstracts in English for French papers and vice versa, this is an accessible as well as agenda-setting volume... makes big strides in the right direction and is to be warmly welcomed. -- Oliver Creighton Medieval Archaeologyhaeology In sum, I find myself pleasantly intrigued and intellectually stimulated by several of the well-presented and vividly illustrated arguments gathered in this book... -- Benjamin Pohl Misc. US reviewer

Donjons - that is great towers, or to most of us castle keeps - are the most dramatic legacy of the Norman Conquest. They are foreboding and stark, and it's hard to imagine other than a military function. However, as Pamela Marshall tells in this collection of essays arising from a Norman Connections project (www.normanconnections.com) , the sole written source with any degree of detail about life inside the donjon paints a very different picture, of a comfortable high-status residence. It describes the modest timber donjon built about 1120 on the motte at Ardres in the Pas de Calais, with activities divided between its three floors. Service functions (cooking and storage, even of livestock) were at ground level. Stairs and corridors led to the principal first-floor great chamber where the lord and lady slept, off which was a cosy room for nursemaids and young children, and perhaps a parlour. On the floor above was sleeping accommodation for older sons and daughters, along with watchmen and guards, and a possible chapel. Nevertheless, she concludes that many, especially, of the grandest structures had neither accommodation nor defence as their primary purpose. Rather they were intended to emphasise the lord's power and presence, made even more imposing through false top-storeys and highly visible siting. Donjons' role in power-holding can further be seen in their sophisticated and manipulative architecture - a fine phase - with vassals and others having to follow a proscribed progression through the building for acts of fealty or charter signing, perhaps being left to stew in an antechamber before admission to the lord's presence. Many of the essays are site specific, but throughout there are thoughtful insights: on Norman monuments, Romanesque architecture and artefacts, the Bayeux tapestry and the presentation of sites to the public. Meatier offerings include that by Edward Impey and John McNeill who suggest the Salle de l'Exchiquier at Caen was a prototype both for hall in Normandy and the great hall at Westminster - buildings which David Bates suggests were an expression of a new imperial Anglo-Norman world. Three papers on Norwich bring out the complexities of William Rufus's megalomaniac keep, set on the largest of all English mottes. Colchester was another grandiose structure, but never rose beyond two storeys, while Rochester had the tallest of castle towers (38m) with an extra top floor supported on thick walls. Only undermining brought it down in 1215, after it had successfully withstood a massive battering from king John's five trebuchets. -- British Archaeology Magazine British Archaeology Magazine

Author Information

John A. Davies is Chief Curator and Keeper of Archaeology for Norfolk Museums Service. He has worked as an archaeologist in Norfolk since 1984, specialising in the late prehistoric and Roman periods, as well as numismatics. His current interests include Norwich Castle and the Norman period. Angela Riley is Norman Connections Project Officer for Norfolk Museums Service. She coordinated Norwich Castle's involvement in the European partnership project from 2011-4, notably organising the Castles Conference in 2012. She is currently working on the Norwich Castle Keep development project. Jean-Marie Levesque is Director of the Musee de Normandie, City of Caen. Historian by training, he has covered many topics within the museum on the history of Normandy and its relationship with the 'Norman world' from England to Sicily. He has a particular interest in the question of regional identity and how it is represented, ranging from the history of the Vikings... to the history of the Norman cow! He has contributed to the development of Caen Castle through the application of archaeological and architectural studies undertaken at the site. Since 2000, he has been directly involved in developing a restoration and management plan for Caen Castle. Charlotte Lapiche is Estate and Curatorial Manager for Chateau Guillaume-Le-Conquerant, City of Falaise. Archaeologist and art historian by training, she has been responsible for restoration work on the castle ramparts since 2008. Interested in the way in which a site, a historic monument or natural space, can tell its story, she has initiated interpretation and animations aimed at highlighting the diversity of regional heritage.

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