Shaftesbury Castle Hill

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

Probable Norman fortified farmhouse and the site of an Adulterine Castle. The earthwork is surrounded by steep natural slopes on all but its eastern side where a ditch up to 18m wide and with an average depth of 2m has been cut to complete the all round defence. The inner bank in this quarter varies between 13m and 17m wide and has an average height of 1m. There is a pit in the centre. Excavations in 1947-9 discovered three tripod pitchers dating from C12 to C13.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
Timber Castle.
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 ST85662284

PastScape number; 206412

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p27
Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p36-8
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 p128
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
RCHME, 1972, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol4: north p75-6
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p249
Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol3 p3 [slight]

Journal Articles

King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
Rigold, S.E., 1949, 'Excavations by the Shaftesbury Historical Society at Castle Hill, Shaftesbury, 1947-49' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol71 p54-57
Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p203

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations.

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Shaftesbury Castle Hill

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST85662284

Sources of information, references and further reading