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Great Easton Castle
In the civil parish of Great Easton.
In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of Essex, 1974 county of Essex).
Situated on a broad south facing spur overlooking the valley of the River Chelmer. Motte is approximately 6.4m high and roughly conical in shape, measuring 35m in diameter at the base and 13m across the flattened summit. Motte is surrounded by a ditch measuring up to 15m in width, from which the material for the mound would have been quarried. Although this is now largely infilled and visible only as a slight depression, a sample excavation in 1965 demonstrated that it survives as a buried feature to a minimum depth of approximately 2m. Excavations, carried out to the south of the motte between 1964 and 1966, found some evidence from which to date the castle. A 2.4m wide ditch was discovered just outside the southern perimeter of the motte ditch, containing early medieval pottery and sealed by upcast associated with the construction of the motte. From this sequence it has been inferred that the castle was probably adulterine, constructed during The Anarchy.
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 TL60902543
PastScape number;
376316
County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1178
Books
- Neville, David, 2003, Lost Castles of Essex (Ian Henry) p87-8
Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p29
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p76 [slight]
Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p355
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p144
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
RCHME, 1916, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex. Vol1 [north-west] p126
Gould, Chalkley, 1903, in Doubleday, Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Essex Vol1 p293
Journal Articles
- 1966-70, Essex Archaeology and history Vol2 p159-60
Sellers, E.E. in Hurst, D.G. (ed), 1967, 'Medieval Britain in 1966' Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p284-5
Sellers, E.E. in Hurst, D.G. (ed), 1966, 'Medieval Britain in 1965' Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p190
Sellers, E.E., 1966, Essex Archaeological Society [ser3] Vol2 p97
Sellers, E.E. in Hurst, D.G. (ed), 1965, 'Excavation report: Medieval Britain in 1964' Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p188
Sellers, E.E., 1965, Essex Archaeological Society [ser3] Vol1 p265
Gould, 1903, Essex Archaeological Society Vol8 p324-6
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