MONUMENT NO. 117125

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The remains of a medieval Motte and Bailey Castle. The castle is sited at a crossing of the river Frome and is first mentioned in 1146 but was destroyed during the War of the Roses. Traces of a curtain wall remain around the top of the motte and there are outworks to the west comprising of a substantial rampart and outer ditch. Excavations have revealed the remains of a 13th century gateway, along with masonry, ridge-crest tiles and a terra-cotta imbrex. This monument is Scheduled.

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SO 94400925 Castle Mound (NR) (1)

Motte and bailey castle at Miserden, mentioned in 1146 and destroyed during the Wars of the Roses, sited at a crossing of the river Frome. The motte is 25-30ft above the moat on the north west side and there is a bank on the outer edge of the moat. A causeway on the south east side does not appear to be original. The stone walls of the castle are still very much in evidence and the interior of a shell-keep, 60 ft across, was partly excavated in 1907. The castle ceased to be inhabited between 1266 and 1289 and by the early 14th century had been replaced by a manor-house on a new site (SO 90 NW 38). Excavations in 1915 uncovered masonry of the 13th century and decorated ridge-crest tiles. A terra-cotta imbrex surmounted by a bear is preserved in Miserden Park. More recent excavations have revealed the remains of a 13th century gateway. (2-6)

Centred at SO 94400925 in Miserden Park, lies a well preserved motte and bailey castle, of considerable strength. It occupies the whole of a small, steep sided densely wooded rocky spur, formed by a meander of the river Frome, and is effectively sited to control any crossing.

A massive partly rock cut ditch 6.1m deep and 10.0m wide cuts north-south across the neck of the spur, completely separating it from the mainland. Further to the east a second slighter ditch 1.7m deep and 13.0m wide cuts similarly north-south. These two ditches isolate the high central part of the spur, to create a mound 10.0m high with a top 40.0m northwest-southeast by 34.0m transversely.

SO 94440928-SO 94450934. A substantial causway or bank 2.6m high runs north east from the north bank of the Frome and may suggest a damming of the river. This (controlled by sluices) would create a water-defence around the north side, which together with the river in the east, and steep natural slopes in the south, would make approach possible only from the heavily defended west side.

Outworks in the west, consist of a substantial rampart 2.1m high with outer ditch 1.9m deep. These run from the very steep natural valley slopes at the south, northward for some 70.0m to an inturned entrance. Traces of a possible guard-house together with other buildings are visible inside this rampart. From the entrance, the rampart curves north easterly for 20.0m where it is broken by a hollow way, and then merges with steep natural slopes around the north.

Traces of a curtain-wall remain around the top of the castle mound, and what appears to be the ruins of an inner gatehouse remains exposed on the south quarter. This corresponds with the lowest part of the mound.

The eastern end of the spur between the motte and the Frome is worthy of note; overlooked by the castle, relatively level, and bounded by a pronounced scarp, it may well have provided an additional bailey.
Resurveyed at 1:2500 on AM with 1:1250 Enlargement. (7)

Listed by Cathcart King. (8)

The motte and bailey castle is as described by the above authorities (1-7). The remains of the motte and outer defence works are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and have been mapped as part of The Cotswolds Hills NMP survey. The site was subsequently covered by dense woodland on aerial photographs taken from 1970 onwards. (9-10)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1960

( 2) by Derek Renn 1973 Norman castles in Britain

1973 Page(s)245

( 3) General reference

Little Guide to Glos 1949 123 (C Cox)

( 4) General reference

RCHM Ms Notes 18.11.1971

( 5) edited by N.M. Herbert 1976 A history of the county of Gloucester, volume 11

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1976 Page(s)50

( 6) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR RAF/CPE/UK/2098 3113-3114 28-MAY-1947

( 7) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GB 23-SEP-77

( 8) 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 Page(s)182

(9) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR RAF/CPE/UK/2098 3021-3022 28-MAY-1947

(10) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR OS/70291 368-369 11-AUG-1970

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