Scheduled Monuments›England›Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church

Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church

England
List entry 1011018
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1011018
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.16 hectares
Grid reference
SO 42718 73465
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Downton motte is a motte castle located approximately one hundred metres north-west of St Giles' Church in Downton, Herefordshire, England. The monument consists of a substantial earthwork mound typical of Norman motte-and-bailey fortifications, dating to the medieval period following the Norman Conquest. The site represents an important example of early medieval military architecture in the region, serving as a defensive stronghold during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The motte survives as a prominent landscape feature, though the associated bailey and any structural remains have been substantially diminished or obscured by subsequent land use.

Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1011018. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church?

Downton motte is a motte castle located approximately one hundred metres north-west of St Giles' Church in Downton, Herefordshire, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1011018.

Who is responsible for protecting Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church?

Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church 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 1011018.

What other scheduled monuments are near Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wigmore Abbey (2.7 km), Wigmore Castle (4.6 km), Richard's Castle: a motte and bailey with an enclosed settlement. (6.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church'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

Wigmore Abbey
2.7 km
Wigmore Castle
4.6 km
Richard's Castle: a motte and bailey with an enclosed settlement.
6.5 km
Bowl barrow 280m east of Yatton Marsh Farm
6.6 km
Croft Ambrey (camp)
6.8 km
Pyon Wood Camp, a small multivallate hillfort 700m WSW of Yatton
7.1 km
Mound 1200yds (1100m) NNE of the Church
7.7 km
Churchyard cross in St John the Baptist and St Alkmund's churchyard
8.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church

Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Downton motte, a motte castle 100m north west of St Giles' Church

Offa's DykeArchaeological site · ~13.2 milesKenchesterRoman town · ~19.1 milesWroxeterRoman town · ~23.5 miles
Domesday entry for Downton, Herefordshire →
All Scheduled Monuments