Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/51

AND WALLS OF ENCEINTE 31 INTRODUCTION done thei'e, and the room in the roof may have been used as the kitchen. Another turret seems to have been designed for a dovecot, a mode of providing for the wants of the besieged which was also adopted in Scotch castles. There is a large inner ward connected with the keep, in which the hall and other domestic apartments were situated. The keep was evi- dently not intended for a residence, but only as a place of last refuge in case of siege. The above peculiar forms were ultimately superseded by Round keeps and towers, which were, for the same reason as the above varieties, introduced in place of square keeps by Philip Augustus ; square towers being vulnerable at the angles, while no part of the circle was more exposed to the operations of the sapper than another. The round form was also more convenient for vaulting, which it was now found desirable to substitute for wooden floors, to render the building secure against fire. Along with the introduction of the round form of tower, the number of towers used for the defence of the enceinte was also greatly increased, and these towers were themselves frequently of great size and strength. By degrees the keep came to hold a secondary place in the defences, and chief reliance was placed on the towers and other subsidiary works, or rather the whole castle became a great keep, of which all the parts were artfully combined in such a manner as to be independent, while yet protecting one another. The law now came to be applied, that " that which defends should itself be defended." Each tower and separate part of the castle was self-contained, and possessed complete means of resistance, being provided with its own garrison and commander, with the necessary munitions and victuals, and free exit for assuming the offensive or for escape, while at the same time every tower was defended by its neigh- bours, and the curtains were flanked by the towers. The various towers were garrisoned in time of danger by the vassals, each tower being generally named after the vassal whose duty it was to defend it. The proprietor, shut up in his keep with his chosen band of followers, was thus independent of his vassals, in whom he could not always place full reliance. This system was in complete operation about the year 1200, and prevailed during the thirteenth century. In the view of Loches, given above (Fig. 5), the walls of the enceinte, with their strengthening towers, are well illustrated. We have also here the keel or sharp angle on the face of the round towers, which was a favourite feature in France, but was never adopted in England. There is, however, an example at Bothwell Castle, in Scotland. The accompanying sketch of the gate and walls of Aigues Mortes (Fig. 25) shows the enceinte of a thirteenth-century town in wonderful preserva- tion. This town was the port of France in the Mediterranean at the