WALLINGFORD CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Medieval motte and bailey castle, built circa 1067-71, slighted 1652. Limited excavations have revealed part of the castle ditch, South curtain wall, and a 12th century domestic cob building. Part of the 17th century defences were also located. Scheduled.

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[SU 60958973] Castle [G.T.] (Remains of) [T.I.]
Queen's Tower [G.T.] (Remains of) [T.I.]
Site of [T.I.] Keep [G.T.]
Moats [G.T.] (1)

Full description, Built 1067-71, slighted 1652 [See AO/59/335 6 & 7]. (2-4)

The site falls within the private grounds of the modern Wallingford Castle, and is under pasture except for the S.W. corner which has been re-modelled as ornamental gardens. (See Plan).

[SU 60948966] Keep. The motte is 60 m. round and 13.2 m. high without a ditch. G.P's AO/61/81/1 & 4.

[SU 61038920] Queen's Tower - All that remains is a 16.0 m. stretch of limestone walling containing a 14th c. window and a number of putlock holes. Some buried masonry is visible at the north end. G.P's AO/61/82/2 & 3.

[SU 60958983] Moat (3 times) - Due to the configuration of the ground it is doubtful if these so-called moats ever held water.

[SU 60868975] Drawbridge - There is no trace of this.

[SU 60898968, 61018967, 60948979, 61058974] Bastions - There is no trace of these.

[SU 60978967] Wall - This is made of worked stone. It has a cover and is in good condition.

[SU 61008962] Passage - There is no trace of this.

[SU 60848978] `Cloere Brien' - No information regarding this could be obtained during field investigation.

Published survey (25") revised. (5)

No change in condition, survey correct. (6)

SU 608898 Excavation by Brooks in 1965 showed that c 1275 the Castle defences were extended; this destroyed the north gate of the town and caused North Street to be re-aligned some 40 yds to the west. (7)

(SU 6095 8973). Excavations in the bailey revealed that a mid C12th bank and ditch and later C17th wall constituted the main defensive earthworks. A C12th cob building was also found, preserved to a height of 1.8m, various internal features including wall plaster and door jambs impressions survived. (8,9)

Survey of S curtain wall by OAU in advance of attempts to rectify an outward lean. (10)

Limited excavation on site of greenhouse at Castle House Lane revealed Medieval pottery to depth of 1.5m. Castle's curtain wall probably ran at a higher level, atop the dumped material from the castle ditch. (11)

C12th sherds found from cutting in castle defences. Excavations at Castle Lane house (SU 609896) revealed probable edge of castle ditch, stepped in form and lined with clay. (12)

The motte and bailey earthworks were mapped at 1:10,000 from good quality air photographs as part of RCHME's Thames Valley NMP project. (Morph No. TG.105.1.1-2) (13)

Wallingford featured prominently in the wars between Stephen and Matilda, and had becaome a royal possession before 1173. It was strongly refortified in 1215-6, and in 1220 the old hall was replaced by a new one. Used as a prison from the 1430s. (14)

From 1485-1540 the castle formed part of the Duchy of Cornwall, but the castle and honor of Wallingford passed to the Crown in 1540. Although little expenditure on the castle was made, and it was described in 1641 as `almost defaced into fragments', it was so successfully refortified during 1642 that in 1652 the Council of State ordered its slighting. (15)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1914

( 2a) General reference

Close Rolls, i, anno 1223

( 2) General reference

"Early Norman Castles of British Isles" 1912. 228-30, 397 (ES Armitage)

( 3) Journal of the British Archaeological Association

12 Page(s)122-4

( 4) edited by William Page and P H Ditchfield 1923 The Victoria History of the county of Berkshire, volume three

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1923 Page(s)523-31

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ASP 20-FEB-61

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 GHP 24-JUL-63

( 7) Berkshire Archaeological Society The Berkshire archaeological journal

(N P Brooks) 62 - 1965-6 Page(s)17-21

(8) Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology

17, 1973 Page(s)159-61

(9) Post-medieval archaeology : the journal of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology

7, 1973 Page(s)100

(10) Oxford Archaeological Unit [archaeological excavation and assessment reports]

1991-2 Page(s)31

(11) Council for British Archaeology Group 9: South Midlands archaeology newsletter

6, 1976 Page(s)75

(12) General reference

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Report 95, 1997, 17b

(13) RCHME/EH Aerial Photographers Comment

Cathy Stoertz/25-MAR-1993/RCHME: Thames Valley NMP

(13) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(14) R Allen Brown, H M Colvin and A J Taylor 1963 The history of the King's Works, volume 2 : the Middle Ages

(15) by H M Colvin, D R Ransome and John Summerson 1975 The history of the King's Works, volume 3 : 1485-1660 (part 1)

Page(s)298-301

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