Ongar Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Angra; Angre

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

Very large Norman motte and bailey castle with sub-rectangular village enclosure. It was probably built by Richard de Lucy in C12, (mention is made of the castle in 1157), but the keep was demolished in C16 and replaced by a brick building which in turn was demolished in C18. The plan consists of a flat-topped mount with encircling moat, an inner bailey, a weaker enclosure to the north and east, and the town-enclosure to the west. Fragments of rubble remain on the motte and flanking an axial gap in the bailey bank, some Roman brick being contained in it. Grade 2 listed house on site.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL55440309

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; 372745

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 140

• Web site links
  • http://unlockingessex.essexcc.gov.uk/
• Books
  • Neville, David, 2003, Lost Castles of Essex (Ian Henry) p18-19
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p37
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p74
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p146
    Eddy, M.R. with Petchey, M.R. (eds), 1983, Historic Towns in Essex: An Archaeological Survey (Essex County Council) p39-40
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p272
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    RCHME, 1921, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex. Vol2 [central and south-west] p53-4
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Allcroft, A.H., 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p407, 410
    Gould, Chalkley, 1903, in Doubleday, Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Essex Vol1 p296-7
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol1 p265-6
• Journal Articles
  • Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1982, ‘Medieval Britain in 1981' Medieval Archaeology Vol26 p181-2
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Gilbert, 1904, Essex Review Vol13 p157-61 [slight]
    Gould, Chalkley, 1901, Journal of the British Archaeological Association [new ser] Vol7 p33-5
    Gould, Chalkley, 1900, Essex Archaeological Society [new ser] Vol7 p136-41
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#essex3]