ABSTRACT
The first half of the twelfth century was a particularly propitious time for castle founding as indeed it was for the founding of monasteries. The idea of creating or promoting a borough that is intimately connected with castle construction is related since it affected the potential value of the manor. In the thirteenth century the desire to create or promote a borough is evident but without the previous need to build a castle to promote the action. At Old Sarum castle the enclosure already existed in the royal castle and there may also have been existing buildings, so Bishop Roger did not have a free hand in the way he did at Sherborne. Farnham castle, Surrey, a favourite residence of the bishops throughout the middle ages up to twelfth century has the most substantial remains. There is an outer enclosure with wall and square towers, and a gatehouse of later date than Henry of Blois.
