Motte and bailey castle adjacent to River Trent

Reasons for Designation

Motte and bailey castles are medieval fortifications introduced into Britain by the Normans. They comprised a large conical mound of earth or rubble, the motte, surmounted by a palisade and a stone or timber tower. In a majority of examples an embanked enclosure containing additional buildings, the bailey, adjoined the motte. Motte castles and motte-and-bailey castles acted as garrison forts during offensive military operations, as strongholds, and, in many cases, as aristocratic residences and as centres of local or royal administration. Built in towns, villages and open countryside, motte and bailey castles generally occupied strategic positions dominating their immediate locality and, as a result, are the most visually impressive monuments of the early post-Conquest period surviving in the modern landscape. Over 600 motte castles or motte-and-bailey castles are recorded nationally, with examples known from most regions. As one of a restricted range of recognised early post-Conquest monuments, they are particularly important for the study of Norman Britain and the development of the feudal system. Although many were occupied for only a short period of time, motte castles continued to be built and occupied from the 11th to the 13th centuries, after which they were superseded by other types of castle.

The castle at East Bridgford is a good example of a small motte and bailey built to command the valley of the River Trent at one of its crossing points. The remains of both the castle keep and its ancillary buildings will survive within the monument.

Details

The monument at East Bridgford consists of the remains of an eleventh or twelfth century motte and bailey castle. These include an elliptical motte or castle mound measuring 30m from east to west by 10m from north to south and standing c.5m high. This is surrounded by a ditch measuring up to 2m deep and averaging between 10m and 15m wide. South of the motte, this ditch extends southwards to west and east to partially enclose a small oval bailey measuring 40m x 30m. A break in the ditch on the south side is interpreted as the original entrance into this bailey. Early descriptions of the monument mention a ridge which formerly joined up with the bailey. This suggests that there was originally a second bailey, probably to the west. However, the extent and survival of this feature is not sufficiently understood for it to be included in the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

23212

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
The Victoria History of the County of Nottinghamshire: Volume II, (1910), 17
Transactions of the Thoroton Society in Transactions of the Thoroton Society: Volume 59, Vol. 59, (1955), 98-99

End of official list entry

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