Ballands Castle, Pen Selwood

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Penselwood

In the civil parish of Pen Selwood.
In the historic county of Somerset (Modern Authority of Somerset, 1974 county of Somerset).

The earthwork remains of a Motte and an enclosure which may have been a bailey. The motte has been constructed from the northern end of a slight north-south ridge and the enclosure occupies the full width of the ridge at the highest point. The motte has steep sides and is surrounded by a slight ditch 0.25-0.5m deep and 7-9m wide. Height from the top of the mound to the bottom of the ditch is about 4-5m. The bailey is surrounded by a ditch scarped out of the hillside on the W. On the N side it has both an inner bank 0.25m high and an outer bank 0.25-0.5m high - here the ditch is 1.5m deep and 9m wide. Dunning writes this is a tristra a mound from which to shoot at deer, not a castle. Creighton writes "may have associated with a small deserted medieval settlement and church" and clearly feels this is a castle. one of three closely grouped castles the others being Church Orchard (qv) and Cockroad Wood.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST75343105

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; 202580

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 54381

• Web site links
  • http://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/her/details.asp?prn=54381
• Books
  • Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p68-109
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p82
    Dunning, R.W. (ed), 1999, VCH Somerset Vol7 p
    Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p71
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p444
    Burrow, Edward J., 1924, Ancient Earthworks and Camps of Somerset (Cheltenham and London) p122
    Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p515-7
• Journal Articles
  • Creighton, O.H., 2000, 'Early Castles in the Medieval Landscape of Wiltshire' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol93 p112