Abinger Motte

In the civil parish of Abinger.
In the historic county of Surrey (Modern Authority of Surrey, 1974 county of Surrey).

Moated motte (15ft high and 120ft in diameter) at Abinger Manor excavated by Hope-Taylor in 1949. Pottery and post-holes showed two main phases of occupation. Phase I: (circa 1100) With a structure on top and probably enclosed by a bailey of which there is now no trace. Phase 2: Mound top remodelled, apparently before the middle of C12, and a palisade erected round the top of the mound enclosing a square tower. Late C13 pottery was found.

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 TQ11394597

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 397004

Web site links

http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/187/abingermotte.html

Books

Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Surrey (Malvern) p8
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p242 [slight]
Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p293-6
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p464
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p176
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Hope-Taylor, B.K., 1956, in Bruce-Mitford (ed), Recent Archaeological Excavations in Britain (London) p223-50
Malden, H.E. (ed), 1912, VCH Surrey Vol4 p394-5

Journal Articles

Bird, Crocker, and McCracken, 1984, Surrey Archaeological Collections Vol75 p265
Blair, J., 1981, ‘William Fitz Ansculf and the Abinger motte' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p146-8
Reynolds ,N., 1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p203
Rigold, S.E., 1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p80
Hope-Taylor, B.K., 1951, Country Life Vol109 p1528-30
Hope-Taylor, B.K., 1950, 'The excavation of a motte at Abinger in Surrey' Archaeological Journal Vol107 p15-43
Grinsell, L.V., 1934, Surrey Archaeological Collections Vol42 p464

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