Scheduled MonumentsEnglandMotte and bailey castle

Motte and bailey castle

England
List entry 1005371
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005371
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.21 hectares
Grid reference
SO 64453 57460
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Motte and Bailey Castle is a Norman fortification located in Herefordshire, England, representing a characteristic example of late eleventh-century military architecture. The site comprises an earthwork mound, or motte, accompanied by an adjoining bailey, or defended enclosure, typical of the defensive strategy employed by Norman lords following the Conquest of 1066. Such structures were constructed rapidly and efficiently using earth and timber, serving as administrative and military centres across newly conquered territory. The monument survives as an important archaeological record of early Norman settlement and fortification in the Welsh Marches region.

Motte and bailey castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005371. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Motte and bailey castle?

Motte and Bailey Castle is a Norman fortification located in Herefordshire, England, representing a characteristic example of late eleventh-century military architecture. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005371.

Who is responsible for protecting Motte and bailey castle?

Motte and bailey 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 1005371.

What other scheduled monuments are near Motte and bailey castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Motte and bailey castle and St Mary's Old Church (2 km), Wall Hills Camp (2.7 km), Castle mound (2.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Motte and bailey castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Motte and bailey 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 Motte and bailey castle

Motte and bailey castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.