Scheduled MonumentsEnglandSauvey Castle

Sauvey Castle

England
List entry 1010303
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1010303
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.87 hectares
Grid reference
SK 78715 05280
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Sauvey Castle is a late twelfth-century motte-and-bailey fortification located in Leicestershire. The castle comprises a substantial earthen mound with a surrounding ditch and bailey, typical of Norman military architecture, though the site was likely established in the late 1100s rather than the immediate post-Conquest period. The monument survives as a prominent earthwork and represents an important example of the secondary phase of castle construction in the East Midlands. Little structural development beyond the initial earthwork defences is evident, and the site was apparently short-lived as a significant stronghold.

Sauvey Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010303. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Sauvey Castle?

Sauvey Castle is a late twelfth-century motte-and-bailey fortification located in Leicestershire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010303.

Who is responsible for protecting Sauvey Castle?

Sauvey 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 1010303.

What other scheduled monuments are near Sauvey Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle mound (0.6 km), Site of abbey church and claustral buildings (1.3 km), Defended enclosure on Robin-a-tiptoe Hill (1.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Sauvey Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Sauvey 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 Sauvey Castle

Sauvey Castle stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.