| Stogursey Castle | |
|---|---|
| Somerset, England | |
 The castle gatehouse | |
  Stogursey Castle | |
| Coordinates | 51°10′34″N3°08′34″W / 51.1761°N 3.1429°W |
| Grid reference | grid reference ST202425 |
| Type | Motte-and-bailey |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Landmark Trust |
| Open to the public | For holiday let |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Stone |
Stogursey Castle is a medieval castle in Somerset, England. Most of the site is in ruins, but there is a thatched gatehouse used for holiday rental by the Landmark Trust.
Stogursey Castle was built to the south of the village of Stogursey by the family of the De Courcys, probably in the late 11th or early 12th century. [1] The name Stogursey is a corruption of Stoke Courcy. [2] The castle was a motte-and-bailey design with a 60 metre wide, two metre tall motte and two bailey enclosures, surrounded by a water-filled moat, fed from the nearby Stogursey Brook. [3]
The castle was controlled by King John of England during the First Barons' War, and was ordered to be destroyed in 1215, but survived; John's lieutenant Falkes de Bréauté took control of the castle, and after his death a second order to destroy the property was given in 1228, again apparently ignored. [1] The castle was extended in stone in 1300 by the Fitzpayne family, and was destroyed in the 1450s by the Yorkist faction during the War of the Roses, [1] though the Victoria County History notes that "there is no evidence, either documentary or archaeological, to support the claim for its destruction in 1457". [4] A house was built within the castle grounds in the 17th century and was restored in the 1870s, but by the late 20th century had itself become ruined until restoration by the Landmark Trust. [5]
Storgursey Castle is a scheduled monument and its gatehouse is a Grade II* listed building, [6] restored by the Landmark Trust between 1981 and 1982 for use as a holiday let. [3]
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the castle fall to an adversary. The first keeps were made of timber and formed a key part of the motte-and-bailey castles that emerged in Normandy and Anjou during the 10th century; the design spread to England, Portugal, south Italy and Sicily. As a result of the Norman invasion of 1066, use spread into Wales during the second half of the 11th century and into Ireland in the 1170s. The Anglo-Normans and French rulers began to build stone keeps during the 10th and 11th centuries, including Norman keeps, with a square or rectangular design, and circular shell keeps. Stone keeps carried considerable political as well as military importance and could take a decade or more to build.
Restormel Castle lies by the River Fowey near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, England, UK. It is one of the four chief Norman castles of Cornwall, the others being Launceston, Tintagel and Trematon. The castle is notable for its perfectly circular design. Once a luxurious residence of the Earl of Cornwall, the castle was all but ruined by the 16th century. It was briefly reoccupied and fought over during the English Civil War, but was subsequently abandoned. It is now in the care of English Heritage and open to the public.
Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, William de Mohun constructed a timber castle on the site as part of the pacification of Somerset. A stone shell keep was built on the motte by the start of the 12th century, and the castle survived a siege during the early years of the Anarchy. At the end of the 14th century the de Mohuns sold the castle to the Luttrell family, who continued to occupy the property until the late 20th century.
Wormegay Castle is a motte and bailey earthwork, located next to the village of Wormegay in the English county of Norfolk.
Stogursey is a small village and civil parish in the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) from Nether Stowey, and 8 miles (12.9 km) west of Bridgwater. The village is situated near the Bristol Channel, which bounds the parish on the north.
Longtown Castle, also termed Ewias Lacey Castle in early accounts, is a ruined Norman motte-and-bailey fortification in Longtown, Herefordshire. It was established in the 11th century by Walter de Lacy, reusing former Roman earthworks. The castle was then rebuilt in stone by Gilbert de Lacy after 1148, who also established the adjacent town to help pay for the work. By the 14th century, Longtown Castle had fallen into decline. Despite being pressed back into use during the Owain Glyndŵr rising in 1403, it fell into ruin. In the 21st century the castle is maintained by English Heritage and operated as a tourist attraction.
Deddington Castle is an extensive earthwork in the village of Deddington, Oxfordshire, all that remains of an 11th-century motte-and-bailey castle, with only the earth ramparts and mound now visible.
Eye Castle is a motte and bailey medieval castle with a prominent Victorian addition in the town of Eye, Suffolk. Built shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the castle was sacked and largely destroyed in 1265. Sir Edward Kerrison built a stone house on the motte in 1844: the house later decayed into ruin, becoming known as Kerrison's Folly in subsequent years.
Morpeth Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building at Morpeth, Northumberland, in northeast England. It has been restored by the Landmark Trust and is now available as a holiday rental home.
Thetford Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in the market town of Thetford in the Breckland area of Norfolk, England. The first castle in Thetford, a probable 11th-century Norman ringwork called Red Castle, was replaced in the 12th century by a much larger motte and bailey castle on the other side of the town. This new castle was largely destroyed in 1173 by Henry II, although the huge motte, the second largest man-made mound in England, remained intact. The motte, recognised as a scheduled monument, now forms part of a local park, and the remains are known variously as Castle Hill, Castle Mound and Military Parade.
Elsdon Tower is a Grade I listed medieval tower house converted for use as a Rectory situated at Elsdon, Northumberland. Originally part of the estate of Elsdon Castle, it later become a rectory and is now a private residence. The original construction dates from the 15th century and has been modified several times.
The Church of St Andrew in Stogursey, Somerset, England dates from the early 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
Stogursey Priory, also called Stoke Courcy Priory or The Priory of St Andrew de Stoke, was a Benedictine alien priory dedicated to St Andrew at Stogursey in Somerset, England. It was founded by William de Falaise, around 1100, to become a cell of Lonlay-l'Abbaye in Normandy. In around 1185 John de Courcy, its hereditary patron, founded the Priory of the Ards (Blackabbey) in County Down, Ireland, making an endowment of that estate to Stogursey Priory. The priory church survives as the parish church, and contains some of the original Norman architecture. Many of the priory's muniments are held in the archives of Eton College, which King Henry VI endowed with the appurtenances when the house was dissolved in about 1440.
Berkhamsted Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The castle was built to obtain control of a key route between London and the Midlands during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. Robert of Mortain, William the Conqueror's half brother, was probably responsible for managing its construction, after which he became the castle's owner. The castle was surrounded by protective earthworks and a deer park for hunting. The castle became a new administrative centre of the former Anglo-Saxon settlement of Berkhamsted. Subsequent kings granted the castle to their chancellors. The castle was substantially expanded in the mid-12th century, probably by Thomas Becket.
Lidgate Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in the village of Lidgate, Suffolk, England, built to an unusual quadrangular design.
Newton St Loe Castle was a fortified manor house in the village of Newton St Loe, Somerset, England. Parts of it survive: a 14th-century keep and 15th-century gatehouse, both Grade I listed buildings.
Whorlton Castle is a ruined medieval castle situated near the abandoned village of Whorlton in North Yorkshire, England. It was established in the early 12th century as a Norman motte-and-bailey associated with the nearby settlement. The castle is an unusual example of a motte-and-bailey that remained in use throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period.
Middleton Mount, also called Middleton Motte and Middleton Castle, is the remains of a medieval castle situated in the village of Middleton, in Norfolk, England.
