Faringdon Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Faringdon Clump; Cromwells Battery; Farringdon; Folly Hill

In the civil parish of Great Faringdon.
In the historic county of Berkshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

The site of a castle of circa 1144 or C13 in date. Excavations by E T Leeds revealed that the site consisted of a single rampart and two ditches surrounding a central keep. Pottery of C13 to C14 date was found which may indicate the validity of the later date for the castle. However, Brown writes this was a royal castle almost certainly abandoned by 1216.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU29749565

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; 225763

• Web site links
  • http://www.britannia.com/history/berks/farcast.html
    http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/faringdon_cast.html
    http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/adv_reference.asp?imageUID=53235
    http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/adv_reference.asp?imageUID=53236
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p70
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p11
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p230
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p29
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H., 1924, VCH Berkshire Vol4 p489
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p174-5
• Journal Articles
  • 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]
    Jope, E.M., 1947, Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol50 p70
    Bruce-Mitford, R.L.S., 1939, Oxoniensia Vol4 p140-4
    Leeds, E.T., 1937, Antiquaries Journal Vol17 p294-8
    Leeds, E.T., 1936, Antiquaries Journal Vol16 p165-78
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#berks2]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p33