In this new, expanded, and completely revised edition of his classic work, Plantagenet Somerset Fry has researched and included the very latest historical and archaeological findings on these intriguing structures. Castles of Britain and Ireland brings to vivid life every aspect of castles and castle life - why and how they were built, the weaponry used to defend and attack them, their social life in ordinary and extraordinary times, their maintenance, and their ever-changing role in a continually evolving political climate.