Canfield Castle, Great Canfield

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castle Canfield

In the civil parish of Great Canfield.
In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of Essex, 1974 county of Essex).

On low ground close to the River Roding. Well preserved mount and bailey earthwork. Origin doubtful but possibly a castle of the de Veres, Earls of Oxford. In plan the site consists of large moated mount, a horseshoe shaped bailey on the south side and traces of a weaker enclosure on the west. The moats are fed by a small stream and could be reinforced by closing a dam. The mount is 48ft high x 280ft in diameter at base (east-west). There is a distinct berm, about 10ft wide, upon the slope but it does not run round the moat at the same level. There is no apparent entrance. On the summit is a small mound. The moat is now nearly dry and c45ft wide at the bottom, on average. The mount is thickly planted. No trace of masonry at the summit. The bailey to the south of the mount originally had a double rampart and ditch but the outer ditch has disappeared, except on the east. The inner rampart is c10ft above the interior level and 20ft above the bottom of the ditch which is 100ft wide from crest to crest. On the east, the outer rampart is 5-8ft above the ditch and 5ft above the exterior level. The outer ditch is very slight. The bailey entrance appears to have been at the north east corner. A ditch on the west side leads into the bailey moat at a higher level. Another ditch, parallel with the south wall of the churchyard, communicates with the ditch of the mount and a large pond further to the west may mark the site of the west arm of the enclosure. Considered, as an alternative to Clavering, as the preconquest 'Robert's Castle' recorded in 1052. Renn (1959) write sited here from earlier position uphill 900 yard away. I've no idea what this supposed earlier site was and there seems no evidence to suggest this is not the original site of the castle.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL595179

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 372888

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 4299