© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)
Orchard Castle is a motte-and-bailey castle located near Dunster in Somerset, England. The site dates to the Norman period, likely established in the eleventh or twelfth century as a fortified settlement of modest proportions. The castle comprises an earthwork mound typical of early Norman defensive architecture, though substantial stone structures have not been identified at the site. It represents one of several Norman fortifications in the Somerset landscape, though it never developed into a major stronghold and remains archaeologically significant primarily for its earthwork survival and evidence of early feudal settlement patterns in the region.
Orchard Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005639. View the official record →
Orchard Castle is a motte-and-bailey castle located near Dunster in Somerset, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005639.
Orchard 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 1005639.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pen Pits quern quarries N of Combe Bottom (0.3 km), Pen Pits quern quarries SE of Hart Hill (0.4 km), Ballands Castle (1.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Orchard 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.
Orchard Castle stands on Gault Formation And Upper Greensand Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.