© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)
Sturminster Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortress situated near Sturminster Newton in Dorset, England. The castle dates to the Norman period, likely established in the eleventh century following the Norman Conquest, and represents a characteristic example of early medieval defensive earthwork architecture. The site comprises a substantial mound, or motte, with an associated bailey, demonstrating the typical two-part layout employed by Norman lords to establish control over the surrounding countryside. Although the castle has not survived with substantial stone structures, the earthwork remains visible and forms an important archaeological record of Norman settlement and military organization in Dorset.
Sturminster Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002719. View the official record →
Sturminster Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortress situated near Sturminster Newton in Dorset, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002719.
Sturminster 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 1002719.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 950m NNE Bulbarrow Farm (7.4 km), Bul Barrow, 750m east of Rawlsbury Camp (7.8 km), Small multivallate hillfort called Rawlsbury Camp (7.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Sturminster 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.
Sturminster Castle stands on Corallian Group, bedrock that formed in the Oxfordian. The rock here is limestone, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.