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King David I ordered the first castles to be built in Scotland.

In this article you can find out:

• What a motte and bailey castle is
• Who Kind David I was
• Who the Normans were

This resource is suitable for Castles topics for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence).

Watch the video to find out how and why King David I built the first castles in Scotland.

The first style of castle was called a motte and bailey.

• The castle keep was made of wood or stone and sat on top of a hill or a mound, also known as a motte.
• The bailey was where people running the castle worked. It was surrounded by a fence for protection.
• Sometimes the whole motte and bailey would be surrounded by a ditch for extra protection.

Click on the picture below to find out more about parts of a motte and bailey castle.

• Born around 1084 - that's more than 900 years ago!
• The youngest son of King Malcolm III and Saint Margaret.
• King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153.
• Ordered the first castles in Scotland to be built.
• Built lots of churches across the country.
• Made the first Scottish royal coins - silver coins with his face on them.

• French people who invaded England in 1066.
• Introduced motte and bailey castles to England to keep their knights and soldiers safe.
• King David I lived in England during the time of the Norman rule.
• David admired how the Normans ruled and organised people.
• When David became King of Scotland, he invited the Norman knights to Scotland to protect him and arranged for them to build castles everywhere.

King David I was the first Scottish King to live in Edinburgh Castle - although it would have looked quite different back then!

St Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh Castle was even built for his mother, Margaret. It is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh.

Let's find out more about this famous castle with pupils from Whinhill Primary School.

Draw and label a motte and bailey castle

In this article, we learned about motte and bailey castles. They were designed by the Normans.

Draw a motte and bailey castle and remember to label these features:

• castle keep
• motte
• bailey