Dodlestone Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dodleston; Doddleston

In the civil parish of Dodlestone.
In the historic county of Cheshire (Modern Authority of Cheshire, 1974 county of Cheshire).

Motte and bailey castle surviving as an earthwork. The motte averages 3.3m in height and was surrounded by a ditch with an average depth of 2.3m. The ditch has been obliterated in the north. The motte is flat topped, and bears no visible trace of building foundations. A well defined bailey is present. Landscape gardening has mutilated parts of the monument.

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 SJ36146087

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; 67014

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1978/2

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/117/dodlestoncastle.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, Index and Amendments to Mike Salter's English Castles Books (Malvern) p10
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p17
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p17 [slight]
    Cullen, P.W. and Hordern, R., 1986, Castles of Cheshire (Crossbow Books) p10
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p67
    Ridgway, Maurice Hill, 1958, 'Medieval Castles' in Sylvester, D. and Nulty, G. (eds), The Historical Atlas of Cheshire (Cheshire Community Council) p24-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p170-1
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p170
    Ormerod, G., 1882 [2edn], History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol2 p847
    Hanshall, J.H., 1817-23, The History of the County Palatine of Chester p305-6
• Journal Articles
  • King, D.J.C., 1973, ‘Dodleston Castle' The 120th annual meeting in Wrexham and district, 1973, CAA p15
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    Harrison, W., 1907, Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society Vol25 p151
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p201