Scheduled Monuments›England›The Mount: a motte and bailey castle

The Mount: a motte and bailey castle

England
List entry 1010116
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1010116
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.96 hectares
Grid reference
TL 02742 34291
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

The Mount is a motte and bailey castle located in Bedfordshire, England, and represents a significant example of Norman military architecture. The site consists of a substantial earthwork comprising a raised mound, or motte, accompanied by an adjoining bailey enclosure, typical of the rapid fortification methods employed by the Normans following their arrival in England in 1066. The castle likely dates to the eleventh or twelfth century, during the period when such fortifications were constructed across England to consolidate Norman dominion. The earthworks remain substantially visible and form an important archaeological record of Norman settlement and the military organisation of medieval Bedfordshire.

The Mount: a motte and bailey castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010116. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is The Mount: a motte and bailey castle?

The Mount is a motte and bailey castle located in Bedfordshire, England, and represents a significant example of Norman military architecture. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010116.

Who is responsible for protecting The Mount: a motte and bailey castle?

The Mount: a motte and bailey 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 1010116.

What other scheduled monuments are near The Mount: a motte and bailey castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wood End moated site, Tingrith (2.3 km), Moated Site and Associated Earthworks at Bury Farm, Sharpenhoe (5.2 km), Moated site at Faldo Farm (5.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about The Mount: a motte and bailey castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of The Mount: a motte and bailey 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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Wood End moated site, Tingrith
2.3 km
Moated Site and Associated Earthworks at Bury Farm, Sharpenhoe
5.2 km
Moated site at Faldo Farm
5.3 km
Sharpenhoe Clappers: an Iron Age promontory fort, medieval warren and associated medieval cultivation earthworks
5.6 km
Conger Hill: a motte and bailey castle
5.6 km
A moated site 200m north east of St Peter's Church
6.4 km
Fishponds south east of Chalgrave Manor
7.2 km
Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks
9.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under The Mount: a motte and bailey castle

The Mount: a motte and bailey castle stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around The Mount: a motte and bailey castle

St AlbansRoman town · ~18.1 milesIrchesterRoman town · ~21.2 milesTowcesterRoman town · ~22.6 milesBattle of Northampton (1460)Battle (1460) · ~22.4 miles
Domesday entry for Flitwick, Bedfordshire →
All Scheduled Monuments