Scheduled Monuments›England›Cow Castle

Cow Castle

England
List entry 1002955
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002955
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.97 hectares
Grid reference
SS 79437 37350
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Cow Castle is a motte-and-bailey earthwork situated in Somerset, England. The monument consists of a raised mound with an associated bailey, representing a common form of Norman fortification dating to the medieval period. The site survives as an upstanding earthwork that preserves evidence of early castle construction techniques and settlement patterns in the region. Its precise dating and the historical circumstances of its foundation remain subjects for archaeological investigation, though its form is consistent with defensive works established in the Norman period.

Cow Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002955. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cow Castle?

Cow Castle is a motte-and-bailey earthwork situated in Somerset, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002955.

Who is responsible for protecting Cow Castle?

Cow 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 1002955.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cow Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Landacre Bridge (2.5 km), Brightworthy Barrows on Withypool Common (3.3 km), Green Barrow on Hawkridge Common (3.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cow Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cow 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

Landacre Bridge
2.5 km
Brightworthy Barrows on Withypool Common
3.3 km
Green Barrow on Hawkridge Common
3.6 km
Group of round barrows See also SOMERSET 170
4.7 km
'Two Barrows', group of barrows (Hangley Cleave) See also DEVON 894
4.7 km
Two bowl barrows on North Molton Ridge 620m and 720m west of Twitchen Ball Corner
5.1 km
Two round barrows on Twitchen Ridge
5.2 km
Stone circle on Withypool Hill 670m ESE of Portford Bridge
5.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cow Castle

Cow Castle stands on Upper Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Domesday entry for Almsworthy, Somerset →
All Scheduled Monuments