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Toot Hill motte and bailey castle at Pirton is a Norman fortification consisting of a substantial earthwork mound with an associated bailey, dating to the eleventh or twelfth century. The monument stands within the remains of a shrunken medieval village, indicating the site's broader significance as a focal point of medieval settlement and administration in Hertfordshire. The motte survives as a prominent raised earthwork, whilst evidence of the bailey and surrounding village settlement patterns can be traced through surface features and archaeological investigation. The juxtaposition of the castle earthwork with the contracted village remains illustrates the relationship between Norman military control and the organisation of medieval rural settlement in this region.
Toot Hill motte and bailey castle and shrunken medieval village at Pirton is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1012325. View the official record →
Toot Hill motte and bailey castle at Pirton is a Norman fortification consisting of a substantial earthwork mound with an associated bailey, dating to the eleventh or twelfth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1012325.
Toot Hill motte and bailey castle and shrunken medieval village at Pirton 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 1012325.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Anglo-Saxon settlement, and probable prehistoric ring ditches, west of Pirton village (0.5 km), Bowl barrow at Knocking Knoll, 640m E of Pegsdon Common Farm (1.5 km), Bowl barrow in Tingley Field Plantation, near Pegsdon (1.8 km).
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Toot Hill motte and bailey castle and shrunken medieval village at Pirton