South Moreton siege work

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

Further north from South Moreton's conquest castle, surrounding a manor house that may date back to C12, are the extensive remains of the moat of a Siege-Castle of King Stephen 's reign. In the 1150s, the King was busy trying to prevent his cousin, the Empress Matilda , from appropriating his throne. During a fierce Civil War, the Empress' main HQ was at Wallingford and Moreton Castle is thought to have been one of three built to keep her forces in check. PastScape report merely as medieval moat without reference to the Anarchy. I consider this may have been built as a moated manor house to replace the possibly unfinished castle which was then used as a siege castle rather than built as such. South Moreton parish had four manors in the medieval period.

This site has been described as a;
Siege Work.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Earthworks remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU56248833

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; 237494

• Web site links
  • http://www.britannia.com/history/berks/morecast.html
    http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/moreton_cast.html
• Books
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1923, VCH Berkshire Vol3 p498-504 [manorial history]