Castles Comparision

Justification for Conical roofs
William Burges relied on manuscript illustration for his justification of conical caps and his argument was, 'It is true that some antiquaries deny the existence of high roofs in English medieval military architecture, and ask objectors to point out examples. As every castle in the country has been ruined for more than two centuries and as the few that remain has been converted to modern uses it is not surprising that no examples are to be found. but we may form a very fair idea of the case if we consult contemporary MSS, and if we do so we find an equal number of towers with flat roofs as with pointed roofs. The case appears to me to be thus: If a tower presented a good situation for military engines, it had a flat top: if the contrary, it had a high roof to guarantee the defenders from the rain and the lighter sorts of missiles. Thus an arrow could not pierce a roof, but if the latter were absent and the arrow was fired upright, in its downward flight it might occasion the same accident the defenders as happened to Harold of Hastings.'

The Wooden flaps at Castell Coch

There is fault with Burges argument. In the case of such features as wooden embrasure flaps it would be difficult to ascertain whether English castles ever had them as such things would never have survived and even in an exception such as Warwick Castle which has been kept in constant use through the centuries there is no reason why the occupiers would have maintained the use of such devices. In the case of the conical caps being used in English medieval military architecture, it seems likely that there would be an example somewhere still in existence, even if it is just an early drawing or painting.

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