“...in this castle they speak Norman French...”
The Norman invasion created a linguistic divide in society, with the higher echelons using French and Latin to communicate and for official business. A Norman stonemason at the time of King Richard I would have found plenty of people who spoke his language.
“...Your ‘Lionheart’ – our ‘Coeur de Lion’...”
The kings of England also ruled over areas of France, although the size of these changed greatly over time. The wars fought by English kings to hold their French territories lasted until 1558, when Calais was finally lost.
“...We masons are always on the move...”
A skilled mason travelled from project to project to find work. After completing an apprenticeship, their minimum daily rates of pay were fixed by their craft guild. A major project might need hundreds of masons to complete. Master James of St George, who built Edward I’s royal castle at Beaumaris, estimated that he needed 400 masons and 2000 labourers working full time on site (and had problems paying them on time.)