Timber Castles

by Robert Higham, Philip Barker

Overview

Runner-up for the book award in the 1994 British Archaeological Awards, Timber Castles is the standard work on the subject and hugely influential in its field. Its reissue makes available again this much sought after text with a new preface by Robert Higham. Some of the greatest medieval castles survive only as earthworks and in pictures and written accounts . . . because they were made of timber. Robert Higham and Philip Barker, who excavated in detail the timber castle at Hen Domen in Wales, have brought together evidence of all kinds to produce the first comprehensive survey of this neglected and little-known type of fortification.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780859897549
Publisher:	Liverpool University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2004
Series:	History Ser.
Edition description:	2
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Robert Higham recently retired as Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Exeter. His research interests cover two broad topics relating to the medieval period: the general theme of defence, in both its military and social aspects, and the medieval archaeology of South West England. He has directed a number of excavations and published several books. The late Philip Barker was Reader in British Archaeology at the University of Birmingham. He directed a number of excavations and published several books.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations

Preface to 1992 edition

Preface to new edition

Acknowledgements

List of abbreviations

Chapter One: Timber castles: their study and background

Chapter Two: Origins of timber castles in the British Isles

Chapter Three: Origins of timber castles in Europe

Chapter Four: The documentary contribution

Chapter Five: The pictorial evidence

Chapter Six: Stone and timber

Chapter Seven: The earthworks of timber castles

Chapter Eight: The structures of timber castles: the excavated evidence and its interpretation

Chapter Nine: Hen Domen, Montgomery: a case-study

Chapter Ten: Epilogue

Chapter Eleven: Gazetteer of excavations in Great Britain and Ireland

Appendices:
A: Timber castle vocabulary 
B. Castel

Notes

Further reading

Index    

Editorial Reviews

This unusual, pioneering, badly needed book explores a topic many people have often wondered about but never tackled... Barker and Higham's lucid, exceptionally well illustrated text resurrects a lost, but significant, part of medieval life. Architects, historians, archaeologists, and students will draw upon their conclusions for decades. This is a truly important work, really an astonishing achievement, and it should be widely purchased."—This unusual, pioneering, badly needed book explores a topic many people have often wondered about but never tackled... Barker and Higham's lucid, exceptionally well illustrated text resurrects a lost, but significant, part of medieval life. Architects, historians, archaeologists, and students will draw upon their conclusions for decades. This is a truly important work, really an astonishing achievement, and it should be widely purchased.

"This important new book also includes an excellent résumé of evidence relating to timber castle building from both documentary and pictorial sources."—Archaeological Journal

"Scholarly and comprehensive."—History Today

"Eagerly awaited ... It is no exaggeration to say that this is a seminal work which will long remain an essential point of reference."—Fortress

"The first comprehensive survey of this neglected and little-known type of fortification ... It will certainly become the recognised authority on the subject of timbered castles."—British Digest Illustrated

"Written with verve and skill."—The Antiquaries Journal

"This is an excellent book; it should be on the bookshelves of all those interested in castles, and will be invaluable to those students studying medieval archaeology."—Minerva

"If you haven't got this book already, it has to be a must for anyone with any interest in its immensely intriguing subject."—Postern

From the Publisher