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Ongar Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey fortress located in High Ongar, Essex, constructed in the eleventh century following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The castle comprises a substantial earthwork consisting of a mound surrounded by a ditch and bailey, representing a typical example of early Norman military architecture in England. The site was strategically positioned to control the local region and served as a fortified residence for its Norman lords. Though no substantial stone structures survive, the earthwork remains well-preserved and constitutes an important archaeological record of Norman settlement and castle development in Essex.
Ongar Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002189. View the official record →
Ongar Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey fortress located in High Ongar, Essex, constructed in the eleventh century following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002189.
Ongar 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 1002189.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 50m north-west of footbridge: one of three round barrows on Shelley Common (2.1 km), Bowl barrow 90m north-west of the footbridge: one of three round barrows on Shelley Common (2.1 km), Moated site in Fortification Wood (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Ongar Castle'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.
Ongar Castle stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.