Scheduled Monuments›England›Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle

Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle

England
List entry 1010756
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1010756
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.83 hectares
Grid reference
SP 99554 08239
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Berkhamsted Castle is a motte and bailey castle situated in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, founded in the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The site comprises a substantial motte surrounded by a bailey with surviving earthwork defences including ditches and banks, representing a typical early Norman fortification strategy. The castle was established as an important stronghold within the honour of Berkhamsted and saw significant development during the medieval period, with stone structures added to the motte in later phases. Today the monument survives largely as earthworks, preserving a valuable example of early post-Conquest military architecture in the Home Counties.

Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010756. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle?

Berkhamsted Castle is a motte and bailey castle situated in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, founded in the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010756.

Who is responsible for protecting Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle?

Berkhamsted motte and bailey 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 1010756.

What other scheduled monuments are near Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hertfordshire Grim's Ditch: 210m long section immediately north west of Woodcock Hill (2.4 km), Marlin Chapel Farm moated site (3.3 km), Moated site at Grove Farm, Ashley Green (4.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Berkhamsted motte and bailey 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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Hertfordshire Grim's Ditch: 210m long section immediately north west of Woodcock Hill
2.4 km
Marlin Chapel Farm moated site
3.3 km
Moated site at Grove Farm, Ashley Green
4.1 km
Slight univallate hillfort on Whelpley Hill
4.3 km
Boxmoor House Roman villa
4.9 km
Hawridge Court ringwork
5.2 km
The Charter Tower, Hemel Hempstead
5.9 km
Bowl barrow in Lowndes Park, known as the `Rolling Pin'
7.7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle

Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle

St AlbansRoman town · ~8.6 milesBattle of Barnet 1471Battle (1471) · ~17 miles
Domesday entry for Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire →
All Scheduled Monuments