Bridgwater Town Defences

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Eastover

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

Parts of the medieval town ditch and bank have been found during excavations in the 1970's and 1980's. The ditch was 5m deep and was open until C16, before being sealed by C18 and C19 material. There were four town gates, which were removed before 1878. Single grant of murage in 1269. Leland wrote there were four gates, but houses served instead of a wall.

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Nothing visible remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST299371

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; 190991

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 12434

• Web site links
  • http://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/her/details.asp?prn=12434
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p182, 183, 257
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p191
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p219
    Jarman, S.G., 1889, History of Bridgwater p260
    Collinson, J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Somersetshire Vol3 p75
• Journal Articles
  • Langdon, M., 1985-6, ‘Somerset Archaeology 1986' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol130 p152
    Ellis, P., 1984-5, ‘Excavations at Friarn Street and West Quay, Bridgwater, 1983/84' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol129 p69–80
    Langdon, M., 1976, 'Somerset Archaeology 1974-75' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol120 p73
    Parker, G., 1878, Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol23 p46-7
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p422
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p162