Scheduled Monuments›England›Cranbrook Castle

Cranbrook Castle

England
List entry 1003860
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003860
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.9 hectares
Grid reference
SX 73868 89010
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Cranbrook Castle is a medieval ringwork fortress situated near Exmouth in Devon, England. Dating to the Norman period, the castle consists of a substantial earthen mound surrounded by a ditch, representing a common form of defensive fortification from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The site exemplifies the strategic control of the Devon coast during the medieval period, when such castles served as administrative centres and military strongholds for Norman lords. The earthworks remain substantially preserved, forming a notable example of early medieval military architecture in the county.

Cranbrook Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003860. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cranbrook Castle?

Cranbrook Castle is a medieval ringwork fortress situated near Exmouth in Devon, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003860.

Who is responsible for protecting Cranbrook Castle?

Cranbrook 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 1003860.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cranbrook Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Earthwork in Houndtor Wood (9 km), Cairn on Hameldown Tor (9.2 km), Huts and fields on Hayne Down (9.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cranbrook Castle

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

Start your Cranbrook Castle report
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Earthwork in Houndtor Wood
9 km
Cairn on Hameldown Tor
9.2 km
Huts and fields on Hayne Down
9.2 km
Hamel Down Cross
9.6 km
Five barrows on Hamel Down
9.7 km
Stone row N of Yarner Wells
10.1 km
Medieval strip field system, tinworks, part of a prehistoric settlement, a cairn and reave on Challacombe Down
10.2 km
Five round barrows on Black Hill
10.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cranbrook Castle

Cranbrook Castle stands on Holsworthy Group, bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Cranbrook Castle

ExeterRoman town · ~11.4 miles
Domesday entry for Drewsteignton, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments