Scheduled Monuments›England›Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church

Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church

England
List entry 1020287
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020287
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.25 hectares
Grid reference
SJ 51175 28821
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Wem Castle is a motte castle situated immediately southwest of St Peter and St Paul's Church in Wem, Shropshire. The castle dates to the Norman period and represents a typical example of early medieval fortification, consisting of an earthen mound with defensive palisading. The monument survives as a substantial earthwork, preserving the characteristic topography of a motte-and-bailey fortress. Its close proximity to the parish church reflects the established relationship between secular and ecclesiastical authority in medieval Shropshire settlements.

Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020287. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church?

Wem Castle is a motte castle situated immediately southwest of St Peter and St Paul's Church in Wem, Shropshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020287.

Who is responsible for protecting Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church?

Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church 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 1020287.

What other scheduled monuments are near Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moated site 500m south east of Creamore Cottage (2 km), Northwood Hall double moated site (3 km), Soulton moated site and formal garden remains (3.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Moated site 500m south east of Creamore Cottage
2 km
Northwood Hall double moated site
3 km
Soulton moated site and formal garden remains
3.6 km
Sundial in parish churchyard
4 km
The Mount: a motte castle 200m west of Weston Farm
5.2 km
Red Castle: an enclosure castle in Hawkstone Park
6 km
Lighteach moated site and associated water management features
6.6 km
Myddle Castle immediately south of Castle Farm
6.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church

Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Wem Castle: a motte castle immediately south west of St Peter and St Paul's Church

WroxeterRoman town · ~12.9 milesBattle of Shrewsbury 1403Battle (1403) · ~7.3 milesBattle of Blore Heath (1459)Battle (1459) · ~13.2 milesBattle of Nantwich 1644Battle (1644) · ~17.1 milesBattle of Rowton Heath 1645Battle (1645) · ~21.4 miles
Domesday entry for Wem, Shropshire →
All Scheduled Monuments