Dorstone Castle

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Remains of a motte and bailey, extant circa 1390. The site was seen as earthworks and mapped from aerial photographs. The motte is oval in shape, 67yds by 61yds across the base; it has a flat top rising to about 28ft above the bottom of the surrounding dry ditch which has an outer bank towards the stream. The kidney -shaped bailey adjoins the motte ditch on the north east and has remains of a ditch on its south side.

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Dorstone Castle

Copyright Philip Halling and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons license.


Name Dorstone Castle 
Alternative Names Dorston 
Historic County Herefordshire 
Civil Parish Dorstone 
Type Masonry Castle Timber Castle 
Confidence Certain 
Remains Earthworks 
Listed Not listed
Scheduled Ancient Monument Yes
Ordnance Survey Reference SO312416
Eastings 331220
Northing 241650
Images of England Reference
PastScape Reference106116
Historic Environment Record 1559

Multi Map

StreetMaps

Books

  • Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p110-164
  • Phillips, Neil, 2005, Earthwork Castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250 (University of Wales) [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?phillips_phd_2005] p188-91
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
  • Salter, Mike, 2000, Castles of Herefordshire and Worcestershire (Malvern) p26
  • Shoesmith, Ron, 1996, Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press)
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p103 [slight]
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p205
  • Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p220
  • RCHME, 1931, An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire. Vol1: south-west p.xxxv, 57
  • Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p148
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
  • Chalkley Gould, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Hereford Vol1 p236 [Plan]
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p101
  • Robinson, Rev C.J., 1867, The Castles of Herefordshire and Their Lords (Logaston Press, 2002 reprint) p42-3

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p225

Journals

  • Bradley, J. and Gaimster, M., 2003, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2002' Medieval Archaelogy 47 p251-68
  • Sterling Brown, R., 1988, 'Preliminary Results of Castle Survey' Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol50 p41
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
  • Marshall, G., 1938, 'The Norman Occupation of the Lands in the Golden Valley. Ewyas, and Clifford, and their Motte and Bailey Castles' Transactions of The Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club p145, 152

Primary Sources

  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p240

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission 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. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commerical purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself. The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others. This site is based upon the databases collated and maintained by Philip Davis who kindly gave permission for its use.