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Great Bedwyn
Also known as, or recorded in historical
documents as; Great Bedwin
In the civil parish of Great Bedwyn.
In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).
Nothing known of castle mentioned by Leland. Leland writes 'I had once been told that there was a castle at Great Bedwyn, but no-one in the town could tell me anything about it.' but, elsewhere, 'At Bedwyn in Wiltshire there used to be a castle or fortress, and its ruins and site may still be seen.' Salter thinks he may have been referring to Iron Age Hill fort at Chisbury. There is also the site of a large Roman courtyard villa at Castle Copse (SU28356295) which would be my suggestion for this site since Chisbury is a distinct settlement. Timbs and Gunn also give both Chisbury castle and a site they call 'Castle Hill, south of the town' for a fortification 'formed or strengthened by Cissa, a saxon chieftain'. Great Bedwyn was a significant Saxon settlement with a mint from 1056-65 and was a borough in C11 and C12.
This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Questionable.
Nothing visible remains.
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p91
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p502 [possible]
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p12
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p499, 504
Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p27, Vol5 p80
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