Scheduled Monuments›England›Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle

Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle

England
List entry 1020410
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020410
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.14 hectares
Grid reference
SS 99145 43456
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Dunster Castle is a motte and bailey fortification situated on a prominent hilltop overlooking the village of Dunster in Somerset. The motte, a substantial earthen mound, was constructed in the late eleventh century following the Norman Conquest and formed the defensive core of the castle's earliest phase of occupation. The bailey, the adjoining fortified enclosure, provided additional space for domestic and military structures within the castle complex. This earthwork represents a characteristic example of early Norman military architecture in the south-west of England and has survived substantially intact, making it significant for understanding the settlement patterns and defensive strategies of the post-Conquest period.

Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020410. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle?

Dunster Castle is a motte and bailey fortification situated on a prominent hilltop overlooking the village of Dunster in Somerset. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020410.

Who is responsible for protecting Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle?

Motte and bailey at Dunster 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 1020410.

What other scheduled monuments are near Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wiveliscombe Barrow (8.7 km), Bowl barrow 700m north east of Burrow Farm (9.1 km), Burrow Farm iron mine and section of mineral railway trackbed, 350m north east of Burrow Farm (9.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Motte and bailey at Dunster 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

Wiveliscombe Barrow
8.7 km
Bowl barrow 700m north east of Burrow Farm
9.1 km
Burrow Farm iron mine and section of mineral railway trackbed, 350m north east of Burrow Farm
9.2 km
The Incline, lying between Brendon Hill and Comberow, and the remains of Combe Row Station
9.2 km
Carnarvon New Pit iron mine and section of mineral railway trackbed, 300m south west of Heather House
9.7 km
Bowl barrow 470m north of Brendon Hill Farm
9.7 km
Raleigh's Cross iron mine, 310m south east of Heather House
9.9 km
Huish Champflower Barrow
10 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle

Motte and bailey at Dunster Castle stands on Middle Devonian (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Domesday entry for Dunster, Somerset →
All Scheduled Monuments