From the N.E. angle of the curtain projects a spur work protected by two
curtains, one of which, 4 feet thick and 24 feet high, only remains, with
a shouldered postern door opening on the scarp of the ditch at its
junction with the main curtain. This spur work was the entrance to the
Castle, and contains a deep pit, now called the Dungeon, and a Barbican
or Sally-port beyond. The pit is 12 feet deep and measures 27 feet x 10
feet across. It may possibly have served the double purpose of defence
and of water supply--there being no other apparent source. In the
footbridge across the pit may have been a trap-door, or other means for
suddenly breaking communication in case of need. Overhead probably lay
the roadway for horsemen with a proper drawbridge. The thickness of the
walls indicates their having been built to a considerable height,
sufficient probably to form parapets masking the passage of the bridge.
In the mound beyond, or counterscarp, was the gate-house and Barbican,
containing a curious fan-shaped chamber up a flight of steps. While the
earth-works surrounding the Castle are the oldest part of the
fortifications--possibly, thinks Mr. Clark, of the tenth century--the
dressed masonry and the different material of the Barbican and Dungeon-
pit, together with some of the exterior offices, show them to be of
somewhat later date than the main building.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26