Downton Moot Close

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dunton, The Moot

In the civil parish of Downton.
In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).

Powerful but very damaged earthwork castle. Ringwork with twin baileys possibly constructed by Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, in 1138 and demolished in 1155. The earthwork has been incorporated into part of the garden of Moot House during the early C18. Possibly superceeded by Old Court (qv) although Creighton writes this bishops palace may have been extant and the castle a temporary appendage.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Palace.
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 SU18052132

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 217912

Books

Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p430-34
Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p90
Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p185
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p278 [slight]
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p498
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Sumner, 1917, Ancient Earthworks of the New Forest (London) p91-7
Squarey, E.P., 1906, The Moot and its Traditions (Salisbury: Bennet) p3

Journal Articles

Creighton, O.H., 2000, 'Early Castles in the Medieval Landscape of Wiltshire' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol93 p107-8
King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
Musty, J., 1966, 'Old Court, Downton, and the Moot earthworks' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol61 p98-99
Rahtz, P.A., 1964, 'Saxon and medieval features at Downton, Salisbury' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol59 p124-9
Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
Shortt, H., 1947, The Moot, Downton' Archaeological Journal Vol104 p166
Floyer, 1897, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol29 p103-6 [history only]
Clark, G.T., 1875, 'The earthworks of the Wiltshire Avon: Old Sarum and Downton' Archaeological Journal Vol32 p305-9

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