Bailey Castle of Sir John de Graham

Bailey Castle of Sir John de Graham

Bailey Castle of Sir John de Graham. Site of the Motte and Bailey Castle of Sir John de Graham. Carron Valley Reservoir Scotland, United Kingdom. Sir John De Graham is reputed to have been born and lived on this site in an early form of Stronghold known as a Motte and Bailey, which was basically a wooden stockade surrounded by a ditch or Moat (Motte). He was killed fighting by the side of Sir William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 and is buried in Falkirk Old Parish Church, Stirlingshire, Scotland.(Below is information on Motte and Bailey Castles from the Forrestry Commission Website.Many earthwork castles were built during the 12th and 13th centuries as mounds with ditches or water-filled moats (often described as mottes). These were built in different styles, some using existing glacial knolls. The slope, the shape and the defining ditch are key elements in helping identify these as defensive features. They would once have been topped by a timber or even stone fort and are often found in association with an outer enclosure (the bailey).These castles were built to defend the focus of a feudal estate. Both earlier and later earthen defended enclosures also survive and can take many varied forms, including moated homesteads, ring works and block works.