Powerstock Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Poorstock; Porstock; Porestok

In the civil parish of Powerstock.
In the historic county of Dorset (Modern Authority of Dorset, 1974 county of Dorset).

Earthwork remains of a Motte and Bailey Castle. The motte is an irrgular oval 150ft by 140ft and 19ft above its surrounding ditch, of semi circular shape, fot the motte is defended naturally on the north by the steep fall in the ground. The motte has been damaged by stone quarrying. the bailey is defended by a 15ft high rampart on the east, and by a slightly lower rock-cutting on part of the rest of the enclosure. It is subdivided by a cross bank with two gaps. The castle is probably of late C11 or early C12 in date. Recorded as a royal hunting lodge in early C13.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
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 SY52109585

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 450881

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p25
Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p31-2,33
Wilton, Phil,1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p69 [slight]
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p281-2
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Pevsner, N. and Newman J., 1972, Buildings of England: Dorset (London) p345
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p987-8
RCHME, 1952, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol1: west (HMSO) p183-4
Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p121, 123
Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol2 p318

Journal Articles

Farrar, R.A.H., 1952, 'List of R.A.H.Farrar' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol74 p84
Bertelot, R.Grosvenor, 1943, 'Vanished Mediaeval Castles of Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol66 p69-70
Dalison, R.H.W., 1899, 'Powerstock, Church and Castle' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol20 p137-147

Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)

Calendar of Patent Rolls (1217-25) p124-5

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