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Orcop Castle is a motte-and-bailey earthwork situated in Herefordshire near the Welsh border. The site consists of a substantial mound with surrounding defensive ditches, typical of Norman military architecture of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Although no masonry structures remain visible, the earthwork represents an important element of the Norman defensive network established following the Conquest to control the frontier with Wales. The castle's elevated position commands views across the local landscape and reflects the strategic importance of this border region during the medieval period.
Orcop Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1001762. View the official record →
Orcop Castle is a motte-and-bailey earthwork situated in Herefordshire near the Welsh border. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1001762.
Orcop 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 1001762.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Churchyard cross in St John the Baptist's churchyard (0.3 km), St Weonard's Tump, a motte castle in St Weonard's village (3.2 km), Iron Age farmstead enclosure on Garway Hill (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Orcop 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.
Orcop Castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.