‘Bastard Feudalism’ and the Later Castles

In fig. 1 we have a ground plan of Kildrummy Castle in Mar. The ‘noblest of northern castles’, as Cosmo Innes called this splendid ruin, is of special importance because it appears to be the most northerly example extant in Europe of the thirteenth-century castle of enceinte which on the lay or feudal side was the culminating expression of what has been styled the greatest age of Latin Christendom. Conformably to its type, the castle consists of a high and massive curtain wall, enclosing a courtyard, and defended by round towers, large and boldly salient, at four of the angles, while at the fifth, midway in the south front, is the gatehouse. Along the north front are the principal domestic buildings—hall, kitchen, and camera—while on the east side is a large chapel, projected beyond the curtain, and set askew so as to aim at a correct orientation.