D&D General D&D dungeon-like structures used as refuges during the Hundred Years War

[Doug McCrae]

"They might seek refuge in woods or caves, perhaps where a site had been prepared. These might just involve makeshift huts and were only a short term solution. Others were much more substantial dwellings. Some were subterranean, some extended into quarries; others were tunnelled beneath villages. Many of these were constructed in the chaotic period after the battle of Poitiers in 1356. Some were extremely extensive and highly defensible. The typical souterrains-refuge consisted of a long central corridor, approximately two and a half metres high and wide with chambers radiating from it. The refuge beneath the village of Naours (Somme) was remarkable and consisted of 2,000 metres of corridor with 300 chambers and six ventilation shafts running to the surface."

- The Hundred Years War: A People's History (2014) David Green

 

[Len]

The typical souterrains-refuge consisted of a long central corridor, approximately two and a half metres high and wide

So, more than 5 feet and less than 10 feet.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Knights and Peasants: The Hundred Years War in the French Countryside (1998) Nicholas Wright, which was Green's source, has a bit more detail.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Underground refuges and war tunnels - very useful article for rpging with maps, photos and notes on defences.