Lesson 3 My home is my castie

Medieval castles offer the opportunity to learn about the human side of medieval life - everything from what medieval castle food was like to medieval music and medieval poetry. We take a look at medieval life and consider the people who lived in the castles, why they were there and what the future held for them. We also try to put the castles into perspective and examine how they were both a boon and a danger to the ruling monarch of the time.

With so much history played out in these castles - from political and religious conflicts to family feuds and more! - stories abound about many haunted castles such as Windsor Castle where several ghosts are reputed to have been seen, the most famous of which is Herne the Hunter, referred to in Shakespeare's 'Merry Wives of Windsor'.

We have a section on haunted medieval castles and cover haunted castles in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Castles, and especially medieval castles, grip the imagination of people of all ages; soaring castle towers, drawbridges, castle keeps, and moats are familiar to most children and a lot of literature has featured or been inspired by medieval castle life. Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" for example has influenced many minds over the years.

Medieval castles make for good educational study and many castles today encourage school visits. Many castles also hold special events with children in mind and we plan to take a detailed look at some of these and the rewards they can bring. We have built our own, unique and searchable database of medieval castles so that site visitors can look up particular castle details and we will be adding to this on a regular basis.