Scheduled MonumentsEnglandBampton Castle

Bampton Castle

England
List entry 1003179
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003179
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.36 hectares
Grid reference
SS 95866 22558
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Bampton Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle situated in the parish of Bampton in Devon. The site comprises an earthwork mound with associated ditching, representing a typical example of early Norman military architecture from the eleventh or twelfth century. The castle formed part of the network of defensive and administrative strongholds established following the Norman Conquest, though its precise founding date and the extent of any stone structures remain uncertain. The monument survives today primarily as an earthwork, having never developed into a substantial masonry fortress, and stands as evidence of the early Norman settlement and control of the Devon landscape.

Bampton Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003179. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Bampton Castle?

Bampton Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle situated in the parish of Bampton in Devon. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003179.

Who is responsible for protecting Bampton Castle?

Bampton Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1003179.

What other scheduled monuments are near Bampton Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bury Castle (4.8 km), Castle Close (4.9 km), Roman fort 300m NE of Cudmore Farm (4.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Bampton Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Bampton Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Bampton Castle

Bampton Castle stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.

The wider landscape

Around Bampton Castle

ExeterRoman town · ~18.8 miles