Monument record MDO1634 - Marshwood Castle, Marshwood

Medieval moated castle. The site comprises a low mound situated within a rectangular moated enclosure. There are remains of a rectangular tower on the mound. Foundations of a chapel were uncovered in 1839, though these are no longer certainly visible. The site was digitally plotted during the Marshwood Vale NMP.

MARSHWOOD CASTLE, head of the barony of MANDEVILLE OF MARSHWOOD.
The earthworks consist of a roughly rectangular moated enclosure with outer enclosures on the South and parts of the East and West sides. The main enclosure has remains of an inner rampart at the NW angle and along most of the N sides. The moat has been filled up for the most part and is now only wet in two places; the rampart at its highest point, rises 10ft above the present bottom of the ditch.

In the SW angle is a mound or motte, now much damaged and rising about 8ft above the level of the enclosure. On it stands the remains of a rectangular tower 40ft x 29 1/4ft of coursed rubble with internal quoins: the external face has been removed but the walls were from 6-10ft thick: there are remains of a former opening in the N wall which still stands to a height of 14ft. In the NW angle of the enclosure [SY 40389775] are traces of the walls, uncovered in 1839 of the former Chapel of St Mary which seems to have been a building some 24' wide: it became ruined in the 17th century. [The siting shown on the accompanying plan disagrees with that given by the Ordnance Survey]. The barn [A] at LODGE HOUSE FARM immediately S of the moat, is a flint and rubble building of probable late 17th century date. It has a modern roof. <2>

Description in <1> correct except that the moat cannot be said to be filled in and is as shown on OS 1:2500 plan, averages 25.0m wide & 1.5m deep and there is now (February) some water in the bottom throughout most of its course. Siting of the chapel in T1 disagrees with that in T2 and no evidence was obtained during field investigation to confirm either one. In the area of the siting in T1 there is positively no evidence apart from a scatter of stone rubble and at the T2 siting a slight grass covered bank as shown on plan cannot, with any certaintly be said to resemble the foundations.

The outer works are as shown on the 1:2500 plan. There is no sign of an original causeway across the moat. It may have been where the modern track now crosses it on the West side. <3>

Remains of Angle Tower, Marshwood Castle. <4>

Low motte within rectangular moated enclosure with concentric outer enclosure to the South-West. The motte carries the stamp of a rectangular keep of coursed rubble; the external facing has gone, but interal ashlar quoins survive, with traces of an opening in the north wall. Site first mentioned in AD 1215. <5>

Listed by Cathcart King. <6>

Consideration of the morphology of the site and its topographical location leads to the conclusion that this is not a 'motte' and 'keep' but the remains of a (perhaps unfinished) 'water castle' of later medieval date. See interim statement AI/14/2005. <8>

Medieval moated castle. The site comprises a low mound or motte situated within a rectangular moated enclosure. There are remains of a rectangular tower or keep on the mound. Foundations of a chapel were uncovered in 1839, though these are no longer certainly visible. The moated enclosure is 130-40m across and the motte and keep lie in the southwest corner. Outworks lie on the western and southern sides including a raised approach or causeway running from the NW towards the castle.

The site was digitally plotted from aerial photographs during the Marshwood Vale NMP <11>.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1904 (Map). SWX1540.

[Area centred SY 405977] CASTLE [GT] (Remains of) MOAT [GT] [SY 40479774] ST MARY'S CHAPEL [GT] (Site of)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 156-7 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(1) MARSHWOOD CASTLE, earthworks and ruins, stands towards the S. side of the parish and nearly 2 m. S.E. of the modern church. It was the head of the barony of Mandeville of Marshwood. The Earthworks consist of a roughly rectangular moated enclosure with outer enclosures on the S. and parts of the E. and W. sides. The main enclosure has remains of an inner rampart at the N.W. angle and along most of the N. side. The moat has been much filled up and is now only wet in two places; the rampart, at its highest point, rises 10 ft. above the present bottom of the ditch. In the S.W. angle is a mound or motte, now much damaged and rising about 8 ft. above the level of the enclosure. On it stand the remains of a rect-angular Tower (40 ft. by 29¼ ft.) of coursed rubble, with internal quoins; the external face has been removed but the walls were from 6 to 10 ft. thick; there are remains of a former opening in the N. wall, which still stands to a height of 14 ft. In the N.W. angle of the enclosure are traces of the walls, uncovered in 1839, of the former Chapel of St. Mary, which seems to have been a building of about 24 ft. wide; it became ruined in the 17th century. There is an outer bank to the moat at the S.W. angle and the outer enclosures have remains of banks and ditches.'

<3> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GLS 18-FEB-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<4> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 271-2 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<5> Renn, D, 1973, Norman castles in Britain, 240 (Monograph). SWX2036.

<6> Cathcart-King, D J, 1983, Castellarium anglicanum: an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands, 127 (Monograph). SDO16340.

<7> Bowden, M, 2005, Marshwood Castle, Dorset: a Level 1 survey (Unpublished document). SDO16435.

<8> Bowden, M, Field Investigators Comments Mark Bowden, 05-July-2005 (Unpublished document). SDO17391.

<9> Bellamy, P, 2008, Proposed New Dwelling, Lodge House Farm, Marshwood, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SDO14936.

<10> Clarke, C P, 2014, Report of Archaeological Monitoring and Recording at Marshwood Castle, Lodge House Farm, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, DT6 6RW (Unpublished document). SDO14407.

<11> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 RS 4211-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO14609.

<12> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882522 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Marshwood Castle, Dorset

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/66/4 (Index). SDO14738.

MOTTE AND TOWER FROM NORTH-EAST

<14> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450003 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 14 2022 12:04PM