Starter quiz
- Which word describes a member of the ruling elite?
- 'noble' ✓
- Complete the sentence: The responsibilities of the ______ included the maintenance of the tower’s defences; paying and supervising the garrison; guarding prisoners and collecting taxes.
- 'castellan' ✓
- Who was the first keeper of the White Tower?
- Othuer fitz Count
- Geoffrey de Mandeville ✓
- William de Mandeville
- Hasculf de Tany
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- Which of the following suggest there was limited comforts for royal and noble residents of the White Tower?
- not enough fireplaces ✓
- small windows ✓
- tapestries and rugs
- most of the court would have slept on floor mats ✓
- north wall garderobes
-
- Who lived in the bailey of the White Tower?
- servants ✓
- garrison ✓
- nobles
- blacksmiths ✓
- chaplain
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- In the king's absence, who was the most important resident of the White Tower?
- chaplain
- keeper ✓
- knight
- archer
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Exit quiz
- Which word describes the style of building that was fashionable in Western Europe which recalled the power of the Roman Empire?
- 'Romanesque' ✓
- Complete the sentence: The White Tower's ______ the Evangelist was designed as a place of private worship and as a public display of Norman dedication to God.
- 'Chapel of St John' ✓
- Which of the following statements show William I intended to use the White Tower's chapel as a public display of Norman dedication to God?
- Ordinary people who worked in the White Tower did not use the chapel.
- There was space in the chapel for larger gatherings of people. ✓
- William planned to have a throne placed at the western end of the chapel.
- The apse of the chapel is visible from the exterior of the White Tower. ✓
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- What was the purpose of the chapel's triforium?
- to allow William to be seated high up in the area closest to Heaven
- to allow spectators to see Norman religious observance ✓
- as a space for musicians during ceremonies ✓
- as a space for monks and nuns during ceremonies
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- What did William plan to have placed in the western end of the chapel is an archway?
- throne
- choir-stalls
- pews
- pulpit
-
- Where did ordinary people who worked in the White Tower worship?
- alongside William in St John's Chapel
- in the parish church of the Tower of London ✓
- in St John's Chapel when William was not in residence
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The White Tower had a religious function; the Chapel of St John is an integral part of the White Tower.
- The Chapel of St John was constructed in the Romanesque style.
- The Chapel of St John was intended for religious worship and to impress visitors.
Common misconception
William I often used the Chapel of St John for his own private worship.
Although this was the plan, William died before the chapel was finished.
Keywords
Chapel - a small church, or a room used as a church in a larger building
Church - a building for Christian worship
Romanesque - the style of building that was fashionable in Western Europe which recalled the power of the Roman Empire
Nave - the long central part of a church, often with aisles on both sides
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