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Castle Orchard
In the civil parish of Stourton With Gasper.
In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).
Earthwork remains of a Motte and Bailey castle. The castle was excavated by Pitt-Rivers in 1879-80 when a quantity of Norman and Medieval pottery was found. Excavations also took place in 1939. One of three closely space castles, the others being Ballands Castle (qv) and Cockroad Wood (qv). Creighton writes the site was fortified with a buttressed rectangular keep.
NB. This castle is sometimes placed in Penselwood parish, Somerset.
This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.
This site is a scheduled
monument protected by law.
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST769319
PastScape number;
202574
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p100
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p278 [slight]
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p501
Aston, M., 1982, 'The medieval pattern 1000-1500AD' in Aston, M. and Burrow, I. (eds), The Archaeology of Somerset (Taunton, Somerset County Council) p125
Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, Elizabeth (ed), 1957, VCH Wiltshire Vol1 pt1 p269
Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p513-8
Pitt-Rivers, A.H.L.F., 1884, Report on Excavations at the Pen Pits, near Penselwood (London)
Kerslake, 1882, Caer Pensauelcoit (London)
Kerslake, 1887, A Primaeval British Metropolis (Bristol)
[of the works by Kerslake King writes "These are eccentric works, involving a controversy with Lane-Fox (who is, of course, the person later and more generally known as Pitt-Rivers). Mr Kerslake was concerned to contend that the castle and the large area of millstone quarries known as the Pen Pits constituted an ancient British city: he carried on his argument in a pamphlet called 'The Liberty of Independent Historical Research' (London, 1885), in which he disclaims any pretence at dating the actual castle (pp. 37-42)."
Journal Articles
- Creighton, O.H., 2000, 'Early Castles in the Medieval Landscape of Wiltshire' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol93 p111-2
1952, Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol96 p10
Winwood, H.H., 1884, 'The result of further excavations at PenPits' Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Society Vol30 p149-53
Lane-Fox, A.H. and others, 1879, 'Report of Pen Pits Exploration Committee" Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Society Vol25 p7-17
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