Wark Castle: What did the Motte and Bailey Look Like?

Motte and bailey castles contained a large, circular mound, usually up to 5m high, on which stood a wooden tower or keep. The mound was surrounded by a ditch and there would have been a bailey, or enclosed courtyard, attached. The bailey was usually protected by a wooden palisade and would have contained buildings such as stables, kitchens and other accommodation. In some castles, the motte may just have supported a look-out tower with the main accommodation for the lord and his family in the bailey.

Very little is known about the layout of the motte and bailey at Wark. The most prominent feature is still the mound. Whilst this has undoubtedly been modified during later phases of building, there is no doubt that it is the site of the original motte. It would have been scarped from the kaim, and probably enlarged by material dug from the surrounding ditch. It is likely that the south bank of the bailey was built on the kaim to provide additional defence. It is not certain whether the bailey encompassed all the land between the kaim and the river cliff to the north or took in a smaller area; this is the sort of information that only excavation will reveal.

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