Zamki Szkocji, Scottish guides, Historic Investigations
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Investigating
Medieval Castles
Children find castles exciting and
many of the most impressive
remains are in the care of Historic
Scotland. Some occupy dramatic
sites, others still display formidable
defences, but even the most ruinous
help to bring history alive. This
resource looks at castles built in
Scotland between the 12th–16th
centuries. It aims to help teachers
gain confidence in using castles with
pupils of all ages.
Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfriesshire
PLACES
in Scotland
2
Medieval Castles in Scotland
Contents
How to use this
resource
Bringing the past to life
P2
How to use this resource
Visits to historic sites fire the
imagination and inspire learning. Pupils
can stand on the site of a castle and
experience the strategic position it
holds. They can gain an understanding
of what it might have been like to live
in a castle in peacetime and to defend
a castle during an attack.
P3-4
Integrating a visit with a
classroom study
This resource is aimed at teachers
and designed to link Historic Scotland
sites with classroom studies focussing
on castles built in Scotland between
the 12th–16th centuries.
P5
Supporting learning
and teaching
NB These notes are
not
intended to be
copied and distributed to pupils.
The list of castles in the care of
Historic Scotland on page 23 gives a
brief description of each and is
intended to help you choose a site to
visit which best supports your topic. It
is also intended to raise awareness of
important but lesser-known sites that
may be on your doorstep.
P9
Timeline: the rise and
fall of medieval castles
in Scotland
The resource aims to provide:
• a clear indication of how visits to
historic sites can bring to life studies
about medieval castles and provide
support for the 5–14 National
Guidelines
P10
Medieval castles in
Scotland: background
information
• information on the historical
background of medieval castles for
the non-specialist teacher
How to book a visit
P13
Castle life
Historic Scotland operates a year-
round free admission scheme for
educational visits (except Edinburgh
Castle and Stirling Castle where a
charge is levied during May–August
inclusive). To find out how to book a
class visit please visit the education
pages on the Historic Scotland
website: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
or telephone 0131 668 8793.
P18
Castle warfare
• a selection of sites which best
illustrate different periods of
development.
P22
Map of selected sites
in the care of
Historic Scotland
Pupils at Stirling Castle build a siege
engine to attack the castle wall
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
Medieval Castles in Scotland
3
Integrating a visit with
classroom studies
At this stage you may also like to:
• Familiarise pupils with words to do with castle life by
asking them to compile an illustrated dictionary of
castle words
Educational visits have the greatest value if they are
built into the original planning of a topic. We
recommend you plan your visit somewhere in the
middle, giving your pupils time to become familiarised
with why castles were built, who lived in them and what
life was like.
One way to introduce a project on castles is to
assemble raw materials and objects to illustrate castle
life and to demonstrate how it differs from today. The
materials in the table below are easily available.
• Look at maps of the area around the castle you are
going to visit. Discuss with pupils why they think
castles were built in that location
• Talk about what it must have been like to live in a
castle in the Middle Ages
• Discuss what important events took place there
• Discuss with pupils what kind of weapons would have
been used and what the fighting would have
been like.
Resource
Talk about…
Leather (use old shoes from charity shops)
Leather was widely used in the Middle Ages for everyday
purposes and as protection from weather and fire. (Wet
leather was used to protect vulnerable parts of timber
castles from attack by fire)
Fleece (from farms or wire fences alongside fields)
Spinning and weaving
Heather and rushes
How floors were covered to keep down mud and dust, but
trapped food thrown down for dogs, spilt beer (ale) and
animal mess
Logs
How fires provided hot water, heat for cooking and warmth
Oats and barley
How cereals were used to brew ale and to make substantial
meals such as porridge and bread
Herbs (fennel, garlic, rosemary, borage, mint, parsley) and
spices (root ginger, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cloves
and nutmeg)
How food was flavoured
Honey
How food and drink was sweetened
Fruit and vegetables (apples, cherries, crab apples, pears,
almonds, leeks, onions and cabbages)
What fruit and vegetables were available in the
Middle Ages
Pottery shards (your local museum or archaeological unit
may allow you to borrow some)
How clay was used to make a wide variety of
everyday objects
Horseshoes
How horses were valuable and used in battle, in
entertainment (tournaments and the hunt), and to carry
messengers
Candles
How castles were lit (candles made of beeswax were
expensive so lights made from rushes [rush-lights] were
widely used)
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
4
Medieval Castles in Scotland
Pottage
Before the visit
• Log on to the Historic Scotland
website: www.historic-
scotland.gov.uk for more information
about your chosen site and any site-
specific or relevant themed resource
material available. Many sites also
offer programmes of curriculum
linked on-site activities.
• If possible, make a free planning
visit before taking a class to your
chosen site so that you familiarise
yourself with the site and the
evidence it offers. To book a free
planning visit to Edinburgh or Stirling
Castles telephone 0131 668 8793.
Planning visits to other sites can be
booked direct with the site.
they can equally well find out from
books in the classroom.
You will need:
The evidence record can ask pupils to
use the headings ‘I see’, ‘I hear’, and ‘I
feel’ at chosen locations, to look for
clues to explain what went on at the
site, and to look for evidence of castle
life, development and damage.
2 handfuls of oatmeal;
honey
Method
1 Soak the oatmeal
overnight in water
Pupils can record by:
2 The next day simmer
gently in a saucepan
• taking notes of factual information
• making quick diagrams of specific
details
3 Add honey to sweeten.
Pokerounce
• taking photographs of significant
features or views
You will need:
• using tape-recorders to describe
what they see, hear, feel and smell.
10 fingers of toast;
2 tbsps of clear honey;
a small pinch of ground
black pepper;
a large pinch of ground
ginger;
a large pinch of
cinnamon;
pine nuts.
Working on site
Suggestions for follow-up work
Your pupils’ task should be to look for
physical evidence of the history of the
castle. Useful starting points are:
Following the visit your pupils should
pool their findings to form a broad
view of what it would have been like to
live in a castle both in peacetime and
under siege. Pupils can be asked to
look at the clues and work out what
they definitely know and what they can
reasonably guess.
• what materials were used to
construct it?
Method
• what does the building tell us about
the people who lived there?
1 Put the honey and
spices into a small pan
and heat gently for 3 to
4 minutes
• what evidence is there for everyday
life eg cooking, heating, toilets and
storage?
This can form the basis for a wide
range of language and expressive arts
activities, such as role-play and drama,
compiling their own guidebook or
leaflet, or interviewing local historians/
museum curators. These activities can:
2 Pour the honey mixture
on to the toast fingers
and spread
• how was the castle defended under
attack?
• is there any evidence to show that
the castle was besieged?
• develop skills and techniques in
language and the expressive arts
3 Decorate each toast
finger with pine nuts.
• have any changes been made to the
castle since it was built and why?
• consolidate and expand knowledge
and understanding about people in
the past
• who looks after the castle today?
As pupils explore the building, they
can compile an evidence record in
words and pictures about the site. The
aim of the evidence record should be
to encourage development of
observational, descriptive and
recording skills rather than to look for
answers to specific questions which
• help to develop informed attitudes
about the ways in which our heritage
is preserved.
Practical work could include:
• cooking simple dishes adapted from
authentic recipes,
(see box, left).
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
Medieval Castles in Scotland
5
Supporting learning
and teaching
This resource complements the Social Subjects and
Technology components of the 5–14 Environmental
Studies Guidelines.
It focuses mainly on the attainment outcome
People in
the past
at levels A–D. The suggested activities can be
easily adapted for all levels of pupils. The resource also
suggests ways in which medieval castles can be linked
to Education for Citizenship and provides activity
suggestions to support learning both in, and through,
the Expressive Arts (Art and Design, Drama and Music).
Environmental Studies – Social Subjects:
People in the past
Knowledge and Understanding –
Strands
Teaching Activities
Learning Outcomes
People, events & societies
Use a wide range of resources including
visits to castles to look for physical
evidence
Know about castle life & events linked to
castles
Change, continuity, cause & effect
Use maps to study the position of
castles
Understand why castles were built in
certain places; recognise that castles
have changed in response to society,
technology & warfare
Time & historical sequence
Look at how castles have developed
over time
Understand the chronology of castles
Nature of historical evidence
Compare site-based evidence with other
sources eg paintings and illustrations
Understand the importance of physical
evidence and the role of Historic
Scotland and similar organisations in
preserving our heritage
Environmental Studies: Technology
The following examples show how a topic on medieval
castles might be enhanced through activities related to
technological capability.
Knowledge and Understanding –
Strands
Teaching Activities
Learning Outcomes
Needs and how they are met
Making simple siege engines. Historic
Scotland offers a resource pack that
contains detailed information about
siege warfare and instructions on how to
make siege engines.
Understand how technology, tools and
resources helped people in the Middle
Ages to create solutions to practical
problems to meet their needs.
Making rush lights.
Gather rushes late in autumn. Strip off
the green outer layers and soak in
melted animal fat for 24 hours. Take the
rushes out of the fat and leave to dry.
Compare with candles to see which
lasts longer.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
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