Castle Batch was a fortification at Worle that once stood overlooking the town of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England.
| Castle Batch | |
|---|---|
| Somerset, England | |
 Site of Castle Batch | |
  Castle Batch | |
| Coordinates | 51°22′08″N 2°55′06″W / 51.3688°N 2.9182°W |
| Type | Motte, possible motte and bailey or ringwork |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Only earthworks remain |
Details
editCastle Batch was a motte constructed by the Norman lord Walter of Douai between the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and 1086.[1] It was built on a ridge above the surrounding area, with a mound that is now 3 metres (9.8 ft) high and 42 metres (138 ft) across, surrounded by a ditch up to 10 metres (33 ft) wide.[1] The entrance was probably on the north side of the motte.[1] A possible bailey has been identified alongside the motte.[2] Although typically characterised as a motte, the mound has a slight indentation in the centre and archaeologist Stuart Prior considers the mound to have been a ringwork.[3]
Around 1200 the estate belonged to William De Courtney and by 1303 by John de Beauchamp.[4]
In the 21st century the site forms part of local parkland, and is protected by law as a scheduled monument.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Castle Batch" (PDF). Extract from English Heritage's Record of Scheduled Monuments. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 9 January 2013.; Prior, Stuart (2006). The Norman Art of War: a Few Well-Positioned Castles. Stroud, UK: Tempus. p. 71. ISBN 0752436511.
- ^ "YCCCART 2011 / Y9: North Somerset HER 2011/205, Castle Batch, Worle" (PDF). Yatton, Congresbury, Claverham and Cleeve Archaeological Research Team. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ Prior, Stuart (2006). The Norman Art of War: a Few Well-Positioned Castles. Stroud, UK: Tempus. p. 71. ISBN 0752436511.; "Castle Batch" (PDF). Extract from English Heritage's Record of Scheduled Monuments. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ Dunning, Robert (1995). Somerset Castles. Tiverton, UK: Somerset Books. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-0-86183-278-1.