Scheduled MonumentsEnglandStapleton Castle

Stapleton Castle

England
List entry 1005527
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005527
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.61 hectares
Grid reference
SO 32323 65614
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Stapleton Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification located in Herefordshire, dating to the Norman period following the conquest of 1066. The castle comprises a substantial earthen mound with an associated bailey, representing a common form of military fortification employed during the early medieval consolidation of Norman control in the Welsh Marches. The site demonstrates the strategic importance of the region during the twelfth century, when such fortifications served to protect against Welsh incursions and to assert feudal authority over the surrounding territory. The earthworks remain substantially visible, preserving evidence of the castle's original defensive configuration despite the absence of significant stone structures.

Stapleton Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005527. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stapleton Castle?

Stapleton Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification located in Herefordshire, dating to the Norman period following the conquest of 1066. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005527.

Who is responsible for protecting Stapleton Castle?

Stapleton 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 1005527.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stapleton Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard (6.1 km), Offa's Dyke: Rushock Hill section, extending 1630yds (1490m) E to Kennel Wood (6.7 km), Offa's Dyke: section S of Riddings Brook on Herrock Hill (6.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Stapleton Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Stapleton 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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Stapleton Castle

Stapleton Castle stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.