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French: motte castrale

English translation: motte



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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:motte castrale
English translation:motte
Entered by:J S
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9:53am Mar 8, 2006Login or register (free) for more options.
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Geography
French term or phrase: motte castrale
Dans un guide touristique:

La commune recèle une belle *motte castrale* dite « le Tombeau du Gaulois ».

Thanks in advance for your ideas,
Jocelyne
J S
France
motte
Explanation:
As in "motte and bailey", the earliest castles (Norman) consisting of a mound of earth, either thrown up or naturally occurring, atop which was built a wooden pallissade (bailey).

motte - A steep mound of earth surrounded by a ditch and surmounted by a timber stockade and tower; the main feature of a Norman castle.
[Dict. of Architecture and Construction]

I've never encountered "motte castrale", but France is dotted with "mottes féodales".

Of course the ditch of the motte has given us "moat". Strangely, "ditch" and "dyke" are similarly related.

412,000 ghits for "motte and bailey"

Above: drawing of a typical motte-and-bailey castle ... A simple definition might be that a ringwork is a motte-and-bailey without the motte, ...
www.castlewales.com/motte.html

Motte-and-bailey castles could be very quickly erected; according to records, ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motte-and-bailey" ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motte-and-bailey

Motte and bailey castles appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Motte and bailey castles were a common feature in England by the death of ...
www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ motte_and_bailey_castles.htm

I think a tourist guide is an ideal place to educate people by using words like "motte" and "bastle house".



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Note added at 50 mins (2006-03-08 10:43:46 GMT)
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Depending on the real age of the "motte", maybe.

The Saxons also fortified hilltops.

A multivallate hill-fort is defined as a fortified enclosure located on a hill ... No evidence suggesting that there might have been Saxon round houses were ...
cholesbury.com/fort.htm

Vexillation fort within Iron Age hill-fort (some items in British Museum) ...
www.athenapub.com/britmus1.htm

At the Norman Conquest, Salisbury again attracted the attention of the authorities, and the hill fort became a typical motte-and-bailey castle by 1070: in ...
www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=193



In New Zealand it would be a "pa", a stockaded hilltop village.
Selected response from:

Bourth
France
Note from asker to answerer
Thanks to both of you. I'm going to go with "motte"... Let's educate the tourists, as you say Bourth!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2motteBourth
3 +3castle mound
irat56


  

Answers

10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
castle mound

Explanation:
It is the remaining of the "mound" upon which the keep of a castle was built (such as in YORK, for instance), but I am not sure of the right translation.
Just to help!

irat56
France
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Tony M: I don't think there is one exact translation, but for tourist purposes, I think this is ideal; as a place name, we'd probably say 'Castle Rise'
3 mins
  -> Thanks again, Tony!

agree IC --
2 hrs
  -> Thanks!

agree Michele Fauble
10 hrs
  -> Thanks!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)


45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
motte

Explanation:
As in "motte and bailey", the earliest castles (Norman) consisting of a mound of earth, either thrown up or naturally occurring, atop which was built a wooden pallissade (bailey).

motte - A steep mound of earth surrounded by a ditch and surmounted by a timber stockade and tower; the main feature of a Norman castle.
[Dict. of Architecture and Construction]

I've never encountered "motte castrale", but France is dotted with "mottes féodales".

Of course the ditch of the motte has given us "moat". Strangely, "ditch" and "dyke" are similarly related.

412,000 ghits for "motte and bailey"

Above: drawing of a typical motte-and-bailey castle ... A simple definition might be that a ringwork is a motte-and-bailey without the motte, ...
www.castlewales.com/motte.html

Motte-and-bailey castles could be very quickly erected; according to records, ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motte-and-bailey" ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motte-and-bailey

Motte and bailey castles appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Motte and bailey castles were a common feature in England by the death of ...
www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ motte_and_bailey_castles.htm

I think a tourist guide is an ideal place to educate people by using words like "motte" and "bastle house".



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 50 mins (2006-03-08 10:43:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Depending on the real age of the "motte", maybe.

The Saxons also fortified hilltops.

A multivallate hill-fort is defined as a fortified enclosure located on a hill ... No evidence suggesting that there might have been Saxon round houses were ...
cholesbury.com/fort.htm

Vexillation fort within Iron Age hill-fort (some items in British Museum) ...
www.athenapub.com/britmus1.htm

At the Norman Conquest, Salisbury again attracted the attention of the authorities, and the hill fort became a typical motte-and-bailey castle by 1070: in ...
www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=193



In New Zealand it would be a "pa", a stockaded hilltop village.


Bourth
France
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32
Note from asker to answerer
Thanks to both of you. I'm going to go with "motte"... Let's educate the tourists, as you say Bourth!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Cervin: Definitly! See www.bures-on-line.co.uk/mountbures/Motte.htm
4 mins

agree IC --
1 hr
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)





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