Exploring One of the First Norman Stone Castles in England

Join medieval historian Matt Lewis at his favourite fortress in the whole of Britain, Ludlow Castle. Built as a frontier fortress, Ludlow stands proud on what was the harsh wild western frontier between England and Wales. One of the first to be rebuilt in stone in England, the castle showcases just what Norman power really looked like at the very fringes of its reach.
We’ll learn how the architectural and archaeological evidence reveals a medieval world in flux, balancing war with royal luxury. With expert help, Matt will investigate how castle walls were built, as well as the link between the castle and the thriving community in the town.
We’ll explore what a castle would have looked like in its medieval heyday and who would have lived there, from humble blacksmiths to royal residents. Matt will also discover how this castle rose to regional prominence and then played a pivotal role in defining one of history's most vicious wars, the War of the Roses.
And find out which famous dynasty cut their teeth inside the walls of Ludlow as it became a training ground for princes.
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#historyhit #castle #normanconquest #waroftheroses

[@Mysticflower._94]

Please, please, please keep doing videos on castles and their history. ❤

[@xXScissorHandsXx]

Abso-friggin-lutely second this 👌

[@Imagicka]

I third this. More ruined castle histories.

[@TheOneSoulMate_]

Agreed

[@sabbyd1832]

I love Ludlow castle. You can almost feel the hustle and bustle of the people who once lived there

[@sthompson1000]

At least they weren't bloody weekenders.

[@sabbyd1832]

@@sthompson1000 😂

[@JustAnotherDayInEngland]

​@@sthompson1000Blame "death to Europe" multiculturalism, cities used to be exciting places to be, now they are the sewage of humanity.

[@Go-Dawgs]

I love this series & I am jealous England has So Much History!!

[@patriciajrs46]

I have to agree with that!

[@alemar1122]

Being a member of the Fraternity that uses Lewis stones as a badge, I got a big smile when they started talking about it on the program!

[@rickypound2441]

Great video. I grew up in Ludlow so know the castle well. The castle has such an illustrious history- home to Prince Arthur, the two Yorkist princes and a border castle involved in actions in the war of Stephen and Matilda (The Anarchy), the War of the Roses and English Civil War.

[@patriciajrs46]

Wow! Thanks. That's great history, too.

[@marksimons8861]

Excuse me! My home too!

[@DavesGarden1714]

Love this channel its all about our proud history and culture

[@Imagicka]

As a fan who has studied castles, this video has been more informative and visually educating than anything I've encountered before .

[@catspaw3815]

Some of the biggest and best castles are along the Welsh March. Longshanks built some great ones there

[@patriciajrs46]

The Welsh seemed to be really good for that.

[@JustAnotherDayInEngland]

The main architect was actually David of St George, he was a Frenchman that Edward I befriended while he was on crusade in the middle east, David gained a great reputation from his time being employed in Germany and Switzerland and no doubt the French wouldn't have been happy with him following Edward back to England.

[@catspaw3815]

@@JustAnotherDayInEngland yes, i've heard of him. lol, i wonder what he would think of the Space Needle or some of that stuff going up in Dubai

[@kanto2281]

Wow so Longshanks was involved with castles too. I'm familiar with Longshanks due to his connection to the Scottish wars of independence but I never knew he was involved with castles as well.

[@PinnedonPlaces]

Absolutely fascinating. Love how you bring the heritage to life! Ludlow is a gorgeous castle, we loved our visit there. Full of such important forgotten history, thank you for sharing with us!

[@kristopher1799]

The spouse and I visited this castle almost 2 years ago. A fascinating exploration!!

[@joshschneider9766]

The question is how did they build these crazy structures while defending from enemies. I'd like to see some study on the wooden defensive structures built to defend the building process myself.

[@claudiamann7111]

Thank you so much for another wonderful video. Very interesting. Please show us more Norman castles.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

A wonderful historical coverage video about that attention-getting matter stoned castle 🏰 constructed in medevil periods....thank you (history Hit) channel for sharing 10:59

[@eyeintheskydrone4k]

Absolutely Stunning production. Love the narration it just adds so much. If it has Castles I just have to subscribe. Its my passion flying over Castles and Historic abandoned buildings. Loved every minute of this. Gets a massive like from me well done

[@sputumtube]

Not too far away from me here in Cheshire - I'll have to visit. Thanks for posting.

[@Jay-ql4gp]

I loved this one. Thank you!

[@theparkourlady894]

Really enjoyed this one. As someone who has never seen a real castle in person, I've always been fascinated by them. Would love to see a recreation of this castle complete with working yard, floors, etc. Could easily spend a week just immersing myself in that and fleshing out the huge gaps in my knowledge ❤

[@voraciousreader3341]

I really like Matt Lewis, and I hope he’s given the chance to make more documentaries!

[@HistoryHit]

He certainly will be!

[@isthisdom]

Been here twice, coming from Oklahoma. Still so cool even in videos

[@fierceperedur]

That was so cool watching them lay that block.

[@griefjunkie]

The Normans certainly knew a thing or two about building castles...

[@cyan1616]

Viking ingenuity combined with Roman engineering. 😺

[@jordan3405]

yes, they had to survive. no one liked then

[@dondevice8182]

And Cathedrals!

[@JustAnotherDayInEngland]

​@derrickbridges2611The Normans never called themselves French and didn't see themselves as French. Even the French at the time didn't see the Normans as French. This whole reinventing Normans as "French" is born out of the humiliating defeates France has suffered agaisnt England for the past 300 years.

[@m.a.i7324]

@@JustAnotherDayInEnglandagreed

[@deniseroe5891]

My ears perked up when you DeLacy. Hugh DeLacy is my 24th great grand father. It is wonderful to put a actual place with a name, and wow, what a place. Thank you, I am a bit of a English history and ancestry nut, especially medieval history.

[@pageharris5693]

He was friends with my 29th great, William the Conqueror.

[@jayneymaccarrie5672]

I went here for school day trip over 20s years ago, it was great hearing the history of the place! I love castles, like to learn more and visit load more

[@rl3293]

We were just there in March. Loved Ludlow and the castle.

[@Sjs1-9]

Ludlow is still my favorite town and castle 15 years after first time going there.

[@tktk5443]

Excellent, just excellent!!! ❤

[@Mrrossj01]

The Norman castles in Britain should be recognized as a military means to dominate and subdue a conquered people, not as a defense against an outside enemy.

[@Mask60YT]

Granted it should also be noted that this happen in a different time period where the survival of your rule and your way of life required subjugation, war back then was as necessary to survival as a predator killing its prey. It was either conquer or be conquered, and given a different set of circumstances those the normans conquered would've done the same to the normans. In modern times we have more wealth and structures to prevent countries from simply conquering each other constantly, so small nations like Lichtenstein can simply exist without worrying about being conquered or being too poor to not survive on its own.

[@y_ffordd]

Really interesting, I even learnt how to build a castle, superb thanks.

[@justawhisperintheuniverse8257]

Very cool to see. I'd love to see more about British castles, but really anywhere in the world that they exist.

[@54mgtf22]

Love your work, HH 👍

[@bigoldgrizzly]

As a kid I had a the same fascination with a similar 'grilled hole in the floor' at Pevensey Castle. That one was in fact an oubliette - where prisoners were thrown and literally forgotten. Oubliette translates fro old french as ' place of forgetting ' Enemy or malefactors, were literally dumped in and forgotten - left to starve to death with the rats and foul water

[@ramthian]

Thank you ❤😊

[@harryhames1]

I'm from Hereford and have always been fascinated by Ludlow Castle. Great video and this guy looks like Guy Richie lol.

[@MultiSirens]

My Mum was from Shrewsbury so I I know ludlow castle thanks so much!

[@judycorbett4462]

I am in awe of the size and craftsmanship of the castles But I wish they could tell me more about the families that lived there . Without the human aspect they are just bricks and mortar But still amazing

[@voraciousreader3341]

There are books written about these families, you know! Documentaries are nothing but “fast food” for your brain….they’re full of bite sized factoids which are easily digestible and necessarily very brief (this one is only 14+ minutes long). You get *A* picture of the subject, but not *THE* picture, whereas reading books activates and invigorates many areas of the brain, making it much healthier by causing many new neurological connections, in addition to giving you a much fuller perspective of whatever you’re learning. *AND* you can get books for free at your local library, and if they don’t have what you want, they’ll request it from another library. But most people would rather put their brains on a starvation diet of fast food.

[@antoniosingson1791]

I was here last April of 2019, impressive Norman feat..

[@Back2TheBike]

Their hands were impressive too.

[@patriciajrs46]

Louis pin? Three legged louis pin? Interesting stuff. Wow! How did they drill the holes? Lime mortar mix, a lime putty. I loved the demonstration of the mortar.

[@peteranderson4285]

Thanks

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thanks 👍🏼💐

[@denisephillips2337]

❤Ludlow Castle

[@timothywebb5100]

Brilliant 🙂

[@VeroniqueAiyacs]

Nice video, thank you, but I wish we could have had a look at the fireplaces and kitchen to ascertain whether this was a sumptuous residence or a garrison. Thank you, Veronique.

[@stephenwright414]

Can you guys make a Playlist just for castles?

[@Bloomcycle]

Could you imagine living near here. 🏰

[@sthompson1000]

I do, You don't notice it.

[@tansyhawksley9988]

I grew up in Ludlow. Should revisit really, it is a pretty special place

[@cheekychap8998]

i love ludlow castle

[@Wotsitorlabart]

'Skilled craftspeople'. I think we can safely say that the people who built Ludlow castle were 'skilled craftsmen'.

[@mattr543]

They were actually skilled unicorns and at least 6 of them were confirmed moons.

[@blitzroute66]

​@@mattr543that's no moon!

[@sthompson1000]

@@mattr543 I doubt any of them "identified" as cats though.

[@jordan3405]

it was women that built the castle

[@firstchoicetuber3757]

Braveheart a very nice movie describing how those times were williak wallace fought hard

[@Bella-fz9fy]

Only the English get the blame,when the Normans had subjugated them and moved on to neighbouring countries!

[@patriciajrs46]

Why were they called Baileys? This is a great video. Thank you.

[@Mish_Da_Mash]

Please do Oxford

[@CLaFong]

How long did it take to build from the first stones being laid in 1085ish until what we see the remains of now?

[@alexpartridge7113]

I've been to Ludlow castle

[@robnewman6101]

Kings & Queens of England since 1066. Our Longest Regining Monarch.

[@sthompson1000]

Eh?

[@mikeedwards83]

There was a lot of generic castle info. Would be good to have more on Ludlow specifically.

[@Theshropshireratter]

Amazing castle from my home town if any one from history hit reads this I have footage of the civil war reenactment from the 70s that took place at ludlow castle

[@jess-oc9me]

Happy to b a local lol

[@will-i-am-not]

Indeed, they built the Tower of London, with stone brought over from Williams lands in Normandy

[@glenpovey1297]

Hmm! No mention of egg whites, one of the prime ingredients of medieval mortar for bonding. The pipe rolls that detailed the accounts of castle building always mentioned large sums paid for poultry which was used to lay the required eggs. There would always have been a large poultry farm attached to the construction site.

[@peterjorgensen1086]

Not sure it's the right niche but if anyone's interested in Norman and Medieval siege warfare in general I advice Schwerpunkt's work

[@paulmcdonough1093]

i worked in muncaster castle that was creepy as hell i seen a few spirits there we all did.

[@marksimons8861]

I like to take my Norman conqueror chain mail outfit when visiting such castles. Still to convince my lady friend to bring her Maid Marion outfit.

[@golgumbazguide...4113]

Explore Golgumbaz

[@robnewman6101]

🏰👑⚔️🇬🇧⚔️👑🏰

[@noneofyourbusiness2997]

Sorry to be pedantic but a gatehouse is not a keep. The keep is an area for the family to live in and last defense; a gatehouse does not have the room for that and is the first line of defense.

[@thenoworriesnomad]

..👍👍

[@christiansmith-of7dt]

You know how it is for me its just too much too late and I can't handle it

[@rhondascraftobsessions5817]

Could that kind of pin have been used to build the Pyramids but on a grander scale? Oooh! Stonehenge?

[@MeRe52]

If you want this castle to be new just ask Dan from Escape to rural France.

[@Back2TheBike]

I too played in Ludlow Castle in the mid 1960s. Undoubtedly the finest in England. St Lawrence Church too is worth a visit, the largest church that's not a cathedral and home of Prince Arthur's heart, interred after succumbed to fever. This made his younger brother Henry (VIII) next in line. PS 'tradesman', NOT 'tradespeople'. No wokism please, it's history.

[@leod-sigefast]

Normans out!

[@robnewman6101]

Fancy having a watch of a Robin Hood Movie?

[@DeathsHeadNihilism]

HIIIISTORY!

[@hungrybirds2433]

Im serious about medieval history

[@aaronsaunders6974]

Lewis pin: thanks. They cost $600 😮

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

It's enormous for an 11th century building project...

[@dizzy6277]

They don't build castles like they used to.

[@travisbickle2715]

Nice reminder the Royal family haven’t been British for a very long time.

[@robbieg416]

This is the kind of documentary that I dislike. A 14-minute video, with a 2-minute introduction. Just get to the information.

[@keeperMLT]

Ask for your money back!

[@dantredogborsa7048]

You must be nice at parties

[@bobbyunavailable]

Ughhh “craftspeople”. 🤨

[@mjribes]

The use of the term "craftspeople" is a bit ridiculous. The craftsmen who built Ludlow Castle would have been men.

[@tah2606]

If he hadn’t said it, someone else would have commented. woke nonsense considered

[@piplee1439]

Which Africans built it ?

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

This would have been a nice video on Lodlow castle if you hadn't shown the unnecessary mistaken building scene. Indeed, Ludlow castle's walls like most castle walls are not made of ashlar but by smaller stones that you can handle by hand and the uncut rubble stones were built as frames incasing concrete with rubble inside - a most common technique of wall building since the Roman period... Unnecesseray mistaken explanation is unnecessary. Ashlar stone building was used in the medieval era, primarily on high status churches, and in later castles, not like this one. I recommend you read a basic book on medieval castle construction before presenting falsehoods on the Middle Ages.

[@Cymry-Am-Byth]

The irony is. This so-called historical video conveniently overlooks that Ludlow use to be part of Wales before it was annexed by England. You know, think of Ukraine. In fact. The real Welsh name of Ludlow is Dinam, and it used part of the Kingdom of Powis where Welsh King Caradog (Caractus) made his last stand against the Romans. But hey, let's whitewash this fact and allow historical & cultural appropriation. )

[@Bella-fz9fy]

Blame the all conquering Normans!

[@dorianleakey]

How does a town shelter the castle? Thats a stupid claim, the opposite is true, the castle protects the town, it also protects the river, not the other way round, it was placed there to protect the river, not to be protected by the river. this level of incompetence is insane.

[@dorianleakey]

The other rivers arent even near enough to be defensive, aaaahhhh.

[@larryfroot]

The river is small, but quite fast flowing and has cut a natural culvert into the land around it, a feature the Welsh call a nant. It, together with the steep slope up towards the castle, does form a natural barrier. And the river also helped to create that slope. Like a lit of rivers along The Marches, it's fed by waters coming down from the hills and so can be fast flowing and, in inclement weather, very difficult to cross without a bridge, which forms a defensible bottleneck. I do agree with you about the town, though. Unless it's fully fortified a la Conwy or Tenby then it's not exactly going to stop an advancing army.

[@dorianleakey]

@@larryfroot Rivers tended to be tranport routes, are you saying it would be too fast flowing? they would likely have slowed its flow.

[@larryfroot]

@@dorianleakey I saw it last year, although there was some management of the water, there's no way it is a navigable waterway. It's simply too narrow, too rocky and too fast. One similar river in Gwent (also fed from nearby hills although on the other side of the Black Mountains) was once called the Torfaen - Rock Breaker in English.

[@speakupriseup4549]

Gloves to operate a block and tackle.? Soyboy

[@kleinweichkleinweich]

as soon as the stone block sees the hi viz vests it will hit the brakes like there is no tomorrow. Master glovewearer does not wear protective boots though. master mason does not wear gloves although he probably gets into contact with the mortar workplace safety looks impressive but is actually useless in this scene

[@Mr100741]

It just boggles the mind when one thinks that this castle was built 937 yrs. ago. No modern technology, nothing available to the builders and engineers that we take for granted today.