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Dorchester Castle
In the civil parish of Dorchester.
In the historic county of Dorset (Modern Authority of Dorset, 1974 county of Dorset).
Castle stood in the North part of Dorchester, the prison now occupying its site. Between 1154-75 it was in possession of the Earl of Cornwall and had become a royal possession by 1185. According to Hutchins, the castle occupied 6 acres, had a prominent mound, the defences being oval in shape, which implies that it was a motte and bailey. The earliest documentary evidence is of 1137 when it was strengthened by the Count of Gloucester. There are several references to it in the reigns of both John and Henry III, particularly to expenditure on repairs to buildings in the castle rather than repairs to the defences. It appears to have been disused from about 1290, and there are references to its stonework being reused to build the Greyfriars in 1309. Excavations in 1970 have located the main ditch in two places.
This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
Timber Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Nothing visible remains.
This site is a
Grade 2 listed
building protected by law*. (Images
of England number 104421)
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SY692909
PastScape number;
1386099
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p22
Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p23-4
Wilton, Phil,1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p69 [slight]
Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p129
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p220
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
RCHME, 1970, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol2: south-east (HMSO) p105
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p629
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p440
Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol2 p366-7 plan facing p335
Journal Articles
- Draper, Jo, 1985, 'Dorchester Castle' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol107 p173
Draper, Jo and Chaplin, Christopher, 1982, Dorchester excavations Vol1: excavations at Wadham House 1968; Dorchester Prison 1970, 1975, and 1978; and Glyde Path Road 1966 Vol1 (Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society monograph series 2) p61-93
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]
Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
Bertelot, R.Grosvenor, 1943, 'Vanished Mediaeval Castles of Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol66 p65-67
Barnes, W.Miles, 1899, 'Contribution to the History of Dorchester' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol20 p132-136
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
Most of the sites or buildings
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to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant |
The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English
Heritage and other individuals and organisations. |
It is an offence to disturb a
Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of
everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from any site
without proper recording and reporting. Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation. |
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*The listed building
may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site
of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
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