Page:The histories of Launceston and Dunheved, in the county of Cornwall.djvu/256

 232 THE CASTLE. description. In 1656 that "noisome den" was so-called by George Fox, who was incarcerated there ; but we possess no earlier authority for the word.] We believe that a strong wall was continued from the North-east gateway, at varying distances along the base of the Castle mound, throughout its eastern and southern margins, till it joined the Guard Tower on the west of the mound. In after years this wall and the boundaries of the Keep Court separated the jurisdictions of the burghers from those of the Castle. Before describing the town wall and gates, we make an extract from Strutt's Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants of Britain, in which the difference between Saxon and Norman Castles is pointed out : The Saxons built one regular entire fortification, round (or as nearly round as the situation of the place would admit), encompassed with a broad ditch and double walling; while a Norman Castle may be truly said to consist of two different and separate fortifications on one spot, namely, the Keep and the Base Court ; for they, finding the round exterior Castle of the Saxons would by no means so well answer their purpose as a place of defence, because they brought with them the general use of the bow and arrow, cross bows, and the like, they therefore divided a part (generally one third) of the whole Castle from it, and threw up the materals from the ditch, which they made much deeper, and raised up the Keep to a height consistent above the Base Court, which last was composed of the remaining two-thirds. Then to the Base or lower Court they added all around a strong vallum, or bank of earth, still higher than those of the Saxons, fortifying it with a strong wall of rubble stone and cement, faced with freestone and a garreted parapet. They raised it to this height that they might with the more ease overlook and annoy the surrounding enemy with their darts, stones, and other weapons. The Keep also, which was divided from the Base Court, was strongly fortified, and raised in such manner as from thence to overlook the Base Court, as, from the Base Court, one might the surrounding country, and this Keep, so strengthened, served them often, when the Base Court was taken, to hold out a longer siege.