Scheduled MonumentsEnglandCynwit Castle

Cynwit Castle

England
List entry 1006225
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006225
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.79 hectares
Grid reference
ST 24682 40489
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Cynwit Castle is a motte-and-bailey earthwork located in Somerset, England. The site dates to the Norman period, representing a common form of early medieval fortification constructed following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The castle comprises a substantial mound with an attached bailey, typical of motte-and-bailey design, though like many such sites it has not been subject to extensive modern archaeological investigation. The monument survives primarily as an earthwork and represents an important example of early Norman military architecture in the South West of England.

Cynwit Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006225. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cynwit Castle?

Cynwit Castle is a motte-and-bailey earthwork located in Somerset, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006225.

Who is responsible for protecting Cynwit Castle?

Cynwit 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 1006225.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cynwit Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Churchyard cross in St Margaret's churchyard (4.1 km), Churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard (5.4 km), Chandos Glass Cone, at the junction of Northgate and Valetta Place (6.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Cynwit Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cynwit 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cynwit Castle

Cynwit Castle stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.