Scheduled MonumentsEnglandBurrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks

Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks

England
List entry 1011823
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1011823
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.85 hectares
Grid reference
ST 35930 30540
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Burrow Mump is a motte castle located near South Petherton in Somerset, England, consisting of a prominent artificial mound with associated earthworks that rises steeply from the surrounding landscape. The site dates to the Norman period, likely established in the eleventh or twelfth century as part of the post-Conquest settlement pattern, though the precise circumstances of its foundation remain uncertain. A chapel was constructed on the summit in later medieval times, demonstrating the site's continued significance and eventual shift from military to religious function. The earthworks and mound survive substantially intact and represent an important example of Norman castle architecture in the Somerset landscape.

Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1011823. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks?

Burrow Mump is a motte castle located near South Petherton in Somerset, England, consisting of a prominent artificial mound with associated earthworks that rises steeply from the surrounding landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1011823.

Who is responsible for protecting Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks?

Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks 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 1011823.

What other scheduled monuments are near Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Anglo-Saxon occupation site and site of Athelney Abbey on Athelney Hill (2 km), Balt Moor Wall (2.5 km), Anglo-Saxon burh at East Lyng (3.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks'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 Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks

Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.