Motte & Bailey Castles KS3 Source Study

A Key Stage 3 source and evidence study: why did the Normans build motte-and-bailey castles, and why did they change to stone? Six short quoted sources with provenance, including the chronicler Orderic Vitalis, an evidence table, a primary-source reading, source-detective tasks on where modern sources disagree, a change-and-continuity task, a judgement question and full answers.

What’s inside:

- Teacher page linking to the KS3 Medieval Britain 1066–1509 study (Department for Education wording)

- Background: conquest and castles

- Glossary

- Sources A to F: short quotations with provenance, including the chronicler Orderic Vitalis as quoted by English Heritage, and source-weighing grids

- Task 1: evidence table

- Task 2: reading a primary source (Orderic Vitalis)

- Task 3: source detective, where modern sources disagree (the bailey; the founding date of Totnes)

- Task 4: change and continuity, from timber to stone

- Task 5: your judgement, with a writing frame

- Full answers with sources

- Credits, licence and sources

Pages: 13 (including cover and credits). Sizes: A4 (210 × 297 mm) and US Letter (8.5 × 11 in), both PDFs included in one zip.

Printing: Print at 100% / actual size on A4 or US Letter. Inside pages use light backgrounds and print well in black and white; covers are dark, so start from page 2 to save ink.

Every fact is checked against named source pages from English Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, The National Archives, the Bayeux Museum, Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Department for Education (checked 30 Oct 2026), and the sources are listed on the pack’s credits page. Where sources disagree, each version is shown with its source.

There are no photos in this pack: all drawings, puzzles and layouts are REALLYBYTE’s own work. Drawings are simplified impressions: not photographs or copies of real objects, buildings or maps, not to scale, and not copied from any plan, print, photo or book, or from the Bayeux Tapestry. Not affiliated with English Heritage, Historic England, Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland, The National Archives, the Bayeux Museum, Encyclopaedia Britannica or the Department for Education. Their names are used only to identify the sources we quote.

Licence: personal and single-classroom use. You may print as many copies as you need for your own family or your own class, and share it with your class through a password-protected platform. Please don’t resell, re-upload or share it publicly. For school-wide use, please email info@reallybyte.com.

Made by REALLYBYTE, the team behind motte-and-bailey.forts.im. Questions: info@reallybyte.com

This is a digital download: no physical item will be shipped.