Scheduled MonumentsEnglandChipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond

Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond

England
List entry 1014747
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1014747
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.98 hectares
Grid reference
SP 31065 27430
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle is a Norman fortification located in the market town of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. The site consists of an earthwork mound with a surrounding bailey, typical of the defensive structures raised in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, and is thought to date from the late eleventh or twelfth century. The castle's earthworks remain visible as landscape features, demonstrating the characteristic motte and bailey layout that was prevalent during the medieval period before the development of stone fortifications. Associated with the site is a fishpond, an important medieval resource often constructed as part of the wider medieval settlement and reflecting the economic and domestic life of Norman-period communities.

Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014747. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond?

Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle is a Norman fortification located in the market town of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014747.

Who is responsible for protecting Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond?

Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond 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 1014747.

What other scheduled monuments are near Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 400m north west of Ranger's Lodge in Cornbury Park (8.3 km), Ascott d'Oyley 12th century motte and bailey castle and associated earthworks (8.4 km), Ascott Earl motte and bailey castle (9.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond'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 Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond

Chipping Norton motte and bailey castle, and fishpond stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.