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Motte castle in Exeter Wood, located 780 metres south-east of Wood Farm in Bedfordshire, is a Norman fortification consisting of an earthen mound with associated defensive works. The site dates to the Norman period, likely the 11th or 12th century, representing a characteristic example of motte-and-bailey castle architecture that proliferated across England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The monument's physical remains comprise the substantial motte, a raised platform designed to support a wooden or stone stronghold, alongside evidence of bailey defences that would have enclosed the lower courtyard. As a scheduled ancient monument, the castle at Exeter Wood represents an important survival of early medieval military engineering and settlement hierarchy within the Bedfordshire landscape.
Motte castle in Exeter Wood, 780m south east of Wood Farm is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1018381. View the official record →
Motte castle in Exeter Wood, located 780 metres south-east of Wood Farm in Bedfordshire, is a Norman fortification consisting of an earthen mound with associated defensive works. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1018381.
Motte castle in Exeter Wood, 780m south east of Wood Farm 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 1018381.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Old St Mary's Church (5.4 km), Cainhoe Castle: a motte and bailey with associated moated site, fishponds and field system (6.8 km), Bolebec Farm moated enclosure, associated platforms and enclosures (7.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Motte castle in Exeter Wood, 780m south east of Wood Farm's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Motte castle in Exeter Wood, 780m south east of Wood Farm stands on Kellaways Formation And Oxford Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Oxfordian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.