Motte and bailey castle immediately south west of The Moat

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of time, motte castles continued to be built and occupied from the 11th to the 13th centuries, after which they were superseded by other types of castle.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 motte and bailey castle south west of The Moat is a well-preserved example of this class of monument. Extensive remains of the structures which stood on the motte and within the bailey are expected to survive, and together with the associated artefacts and organic remains will provide valuable evidence about the activities and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. Organic remains surviving under the motte, the bailey banks, and within the ditches, will also provide information about the changes to the local environment and the use of the land before and after the castle was constructed. The monument remains a prominent feature within the landscape.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a motte and bailey castle, situated on the northern side of the valley of the River Teme. It is at the end of a spur of land defined on its north eastern flank by a steep slope created by a stream which flows into the Teme. From this location there are commanding views of the Teme valley and the surrounding uplands. The flat- topped, steep-sided circular motte stands about 7m high and measures approximately 32m across at its base and 12m across the top. It is encircled by a ditch. The bailey, which measures approximately 24m by 28m internally, is defined on its northern side by the steep slope formed by the stream. It is bounded on its southern and eastern sides by a bank and an outer ditch, with a counterscarp bank to the east. A 3m wide causeway into the bailey is situated at the south western corner of the enclosure, between the motte ditch and the bailey defences. All fences are excluded from the scheduling, together with the telegraph pole, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

32325

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.