Trowbridge Castle

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

Castle, first mentioned in documentary sources in 1139, and probably abandoned by C14. Leland referred to it as 'clene down' in 1540 and in 1670 Aubrey said it was a 'ruinated castle' Fragments of the ditch and tower and ramparts were extant in the early C19. A large ditch, pottery finds and part of the motte have been uncovered during building work. and small scale excavations. Probably started as a saxon thegnal burh. There are `Traditional' claims of sections of castle wall in various nearby buildings.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Uncertain remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST85575786

PastScape number; 207686

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p100
Salter, Mike, 2002, Index and Amendments to Mike Salter's English Castles Books (Malvern) p11
Graham, A.H. and Davies, S.M., 1993, Excavations in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, 1977 and 1986-1988 (Salisbury: Wessex Archaeological Report No2) p57-77, 146-8
Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford)
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p502
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles)
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, Elizabeth (ed), 1953, VCH Wiltshire Vol7 p131-2
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p235
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p12

Journal Articles

Creighton, O.H., 2000, 'Early Castles in the Medieval Landscape of Wiltshire' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol93 p107
Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p289-90
Borthwick, A., 1988, CBA Group 12 Newsletter p21-3
1988, ‘Excavations and fieldwork in Wiltshire 1987' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History, Magazine Vol82 p178–80
Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986' Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p168
Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1978, ‘Medieval Britain in 1977' Medieval Archaeology Vol22 p169
1973, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol68 p138
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]
Goddard, E., 1926, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol43 p345
Goddard, E., 1905-6, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol34 p218
Jones, W.H., 1875, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol15 p215-9

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/wilshireeng.html#wilts8]
Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p492
Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p137
Harvey, J., 1969, William of Worcester Itinerarii p140

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Trowbridge Castle

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST85575786

Sources of information, references and further reading