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Bedford Castle is a motte and bailey castle located in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The castle was established in the Norman period following the conquest of 1066 and represents a characteristic example of early Norman military architecture. The site comprises a substantial mound, or motte, surrounded by baileys which would have originally been fortified with timber palisades. The castle was the subject of a significant royal siege in 1224, during which it was comprehensively dismantled on the orders of King Henry III, making it an important site for understanding both Norman settlement and thirteenth-century military history.
Bedford Castle motte and bailey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010366. View the official record →
Bedford Castle is a motte and bailey castle located in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010366.
Bedford Castle motte and bailey 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 1010366.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Moot Hall (2.2 km), Elstow Manor House (Remains of) (2.4 km), Paved ford 400yds (366m) SE of Kempston Church (4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Bedford Castle motte and bailey's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Bedford Castle motte and bailey stands on Kellaways Formation And Oxford Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Oxfordian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.