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were superseded by other types of castle.
Details
The monument includes a motte and bailey castle situated on rising ground
overlooking a small valley to the south. The motte is visible as a flat-
topped, sub-circular mound approximately 46m in diameter and 5m in height
above the prevailing ground level, encircled by a ditch up to 10m wide and
open to a depth of between 2m and 3m. The bailey which adjoins the motte on
the south side is sub-rectangular in plan, with a central platform measuring
approximately 53m east-west by 30m and raised up to 0.7m above the prevailing
ground level. It is enclosed on the west, south and east sides by a ditch
approximately 13m in width and open to a depth of up to 2m below the external
ground level. A wide drainage channel of comparatively recent date has been
cut through the outer edge of the western arm of the bailey ditch, linking it
to an adjacent quarry pit.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
30547
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
