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Sherborne Old Castle
Also known as, or recorded in historical
documents as; Shireburn; Chirburne
In the civil parish of Castleton.
In the historic county of Dorset (Modern Authority of Dorset, 1974 county of Dorset).
Built as an enclosure castle during the early C12 on top of a natural knoll in the Yeo Valley. Its centre block of buildings were constructed of local stone, using a rubble core with Ham Hill ashlar facing. This was surrounded by a curtain wall and outer ditch. The central building survives as a partly upstanding ruin within the centre of the bailey. It dates from around 1130, with additional phases of construction. The curtain walls have been largely reduced to ground level along the northern and western flanks, although the eastern end of the northern flank and part of the north eastern flank stand to a height of 8.4m. Sherborne Old Castle was constructed by Roger de Caen, Bishop of Sarum 1107-1139 and was altered and refurbished between 1185-87 and in 1592. licensed in 1337 and licence ratified in 1377.
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.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
granted in 1337 Aug 30.
A Royal licence
to crenellate was
granted in 1377 July 20.
This site is a scheduled
monument protected by law.
This site is a
Grade 1 listed
building protected by law*. (Images
of England number 105566)
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST64821677
PastScape number;
199485
- Web site links
- Books
- Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p627-9
Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p28-9
Keevill, Graham D., 2000, Medieval Palaces, An Archaeology (Stroud; Tempus) p23, 27, 71, 86-9, 120, 126, 140, 153, 162
Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p23, 65, 88-90, 123, 132, 157, 159, 167, 184
Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p38-42
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p67-8
Wilton, Phil,1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p82
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p128
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p297
White, P.R., 1975, ‘Sherbome old castle, Castleton' Archaeological Excavations 1976 (HMSO) p26
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Pevsner, N. and Newman J., 1972, Buildings of England: Dorset (London) p385-8
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p832-3
Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p79-81
RCHME, 1952, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol1: west (HMSO) p64-6 plates 90-1, 104 [plan]
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p249-52
Wildman, 1896, Short History of Sherborne (Sherborne) p90-105
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p449-52
Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol4 p265-73
Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p411
Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p77
- Journal Articles
- White, P.R., 1983, ‘Sherborne Old Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol140 p67-70
White, P.R., 1980, ‘Palatial but vulnerable in Dorset' Country Life Vol167 p218
Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1979, ‘Medieval Britain in 1978’ Medieval Archaeology Vol23 p260
Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1974, ‘Medieval Britain in 1973’ Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p195
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
Farrar, R.A.N., 1955, 'Archaeological Fieldwork in Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol77 p141-142
Farrar, R.A.N., 1952, 'Archaeological Fieldwork in Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol74 p107-8
Farrar, R.A.N., 1951, 'Archaeological Fieldwork in Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol73 p106-109
Farrar, R.A.N., 1950, 'Archaeological Fieldwork in Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol72 p93-94
1935, Archaeological Journal Vol92 p78
Brakspear, 1930, Archaeological Journal Vol87 p422-7
- Guidebooks
- Davison, Brian, 2001, Sherborne Old Castle (English Heritage)
White, P.R., 1986, Sherborne Old Castle (English Heritage)
White, P.R., 1971, Sherborne Old Castle (HMSO)
- 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 (1334-38) p498
Calendar of Patent Rolls (1377-81) p9, 10
- 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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