Stansted Mountfitchet Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Stansted Mount Fitchet

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

300yds east of the church, the bailey is on higher ground than the ring. The ring is circular, surrounded by a rampart containing lower courses of a flint rubble wall, 8.5ft high and 12ft wide at the summit in places, and surrounded by a dry ditch 70ft wide from crest to crest and 10ft deep from the summit of the scarp. In the centre are slight traces of a small round enclosure, probably the site of the keep. The ground drops sharply south and west and the defences are nearly obliterated on these sides. Projecting toward the south from the line of the wall is a short length of flint rubble wall (13ft long x 3ft thick x 9ft high). It retains some of the original surface of coursed flints and seems to indicate the presence of a tower on that side. On the east side a gap in the rampart on that side. On the east side a gap in the rampart leads by a causeway across the ditch into the bailey. The bailey is also defended by a rampart and ditch and is crossed by a slight scarp, possibly indicating the foundations of a wall formerly dividing the bailey into 2 wards. No apparent wall within the rampart which was probably strengthened by a wooden palisade. The rampart is c13ft above the bottom of the ditch, well defined only on the north west and communicates with the ditch of the ring work on that side. The entrance on the north is flanked by a raising of the rampart on each side. On the west this extra elevation has been partly thrown down. The rampart is obliterated on the south and only a deep scarp remains. A fragment of wall stands on the south west side of the ring, now 0.7m thick x 4.2m long and 2.8m high. In poor condition. No trace of a circular building foundation within the ring. Renn suggests a large keep similar to New Buckenham in Norfolk. Built by Robert de Gernon who came with William the Conqueror. It was destroyed in 1215 at the time it was held by Richard de Mountfitchet. The castle was not rebuilt after 1215.

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.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 416030)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL51532500

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; 373402

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 4551

• Web site links
  • http://www.gold.enta.net/castle
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/167/mountfitchetcastle.htm
• Books
  • Neville, David, 2003, Lost Castles of Essex (Ian Henry) p20-4
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p40
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p74
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p147
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p303
    RCHME, 1916, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex. Vol1 [north-west] p276-7
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Gould, Chalkley, 1903, in Doubleday, Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Essex Vol1 p301-2
• Journal Articles
  • anon, 1986, ‘The castle time forgot – Mountfichet Castle' Heritage Interpretation 33 p5
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Laver, 1903, Essex Archaeological Society [new ser] Vol8 p141-4