The first Scottish castles
King David I ordered the first castles to be built in Scotland.
Find out how and why he built these castles in the video below.
Duffus Castle
What is a motte and bailey castle?
The first style of castle was called a motte and bailey.
The castle keep was made of wood or stone and sat on top of a hill or a mound, also known as a motte.
The bailey was where people running the castle worked. It was surrounded by a fence for protection.
Sometimes the whole motte and bailey would be surrounded by a ditch for extra protection.
Click on the picture below to find out more about parts of a motte and bailey castle.
Who was King David I?
- Born around 1084 - that's more than 900 years ago!
- The youngest son of King Malcolm III and Saint Margaret.
- King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153.
- Ordered the first castles in Scotland to be built.
- Built lots of churches across the country.
- Made the first Scottish royal coins - silver coins with his face on them.
Who were the Normans?
- French people who invaded England in 1066.
- Introduced motte and bailey castles to England to keep their knights and soldiers safe.
- King David I lived in England during the time of the Norman rule.
- David admired how the Normans ruled and organised people.
- When David became King of Scotland, he invited the Norman knights to Scotland to protect him and arranged for them to build castles everywhere.
