DORSTONE CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Remains of a motte and bailey, extant as late as circa 1390. The site was seen as earthworks and mapped from aerial photographs. The motte is oval in shape, 67 yards by 61 yards across the base; it has a flat top rising to about 28 feet above the bottom of the surrounding dry ditch which has an outer bank towards the stream. The motte is unusually large in both its overall size and the flat space available on its summit. The kidney -shaped bailey adjoins the motte ditch on the north east and has remains of a ditch on its south side.

A geophysical survey of the motte summit proved the existence of former buildings. A number of rectilinear anomalies were identified, possibly relating to a number of individual rooms within one building rather than a number of seperate buildings. A curvilinear anomally around the motte crest probably relates to a former wall or shell keep.

Scheduled.

DETAIL

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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

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(SO 31224165) Castle Tump (NAT) Motte and Bailey (NR). (1)

Dorstone Castle, motte and bailey (see plan). The motte is of oval form, 67 yds by 61 yds across the base; it has a flat top rising to about 28ft above the bottom of the surrounding dry ditch which has an outer bank towards the stream. The kidney-shaped bailey adjoins the motte-ditch on the NE and has remains of a ditch on its S side. The former scarp on the E has been largely destroyed by buildings and gardens. (2)

No change. A scarp slope and ditch to the SW of the motte suggests that the bailey extended to include this area. Published survey 25" revised. (3)

Castle mentioned c1390 and ordered to be held against [Owain] Glendower in 1403. (4)

Additional reference. (5)

The tree masked remains of the motte and bailey described by the previous authorities was seen as an earthwork and mapped from aerial photographs. (6)

Additional reference. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1964

( 2) Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England 1931 An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire. Volume I: south-west

Page(s)57

( 3) Field Investigators Comments

F1 MHB 22-SEP-71

( 4a) General reference

Rev CJ Robinson. 1869. The Castles of Herefordshire. Page(s)42-3

( 4) by David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery

1, 1983 Page(s)205, 215FN

( 5) edited by William Page, F.S.A. 1908 The Victoria history of the county of Hereford, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)236, PLAN

(8) Various Mottes & Minor Earthworks/survey

(6) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

RAF 106G/UK/1652/2294-5 11-JUL-1946

( 7) by Ron Shoesmith 1996 A guide to castles and moated sites in Herefordshire

Monuments in the landscape1 (1994) - vol.2 Page(s)88-90

(9) General reference

Phillips, N. 2006. 'The Earthwork Castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250' BAR.

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