Middleton Mount

Middleton Mount, also called Middleton Motte and Middleton Castle, is the remains of a medieval castle situated in the village of Middleton, in Norfolk, England.

Middleton Mount
Norfolk, England
Middleton Mount
Middleton Mount
Coordinates52.7198°N 0.4563°E / 52.7198; 0.4563
Grid referencegrid reference TF660164
TypeMotte and bailey
Site information
OwnerNorfolk Archaeological Trust
ConditionEarthworks only survive

Details

Middleton Mount was a motte and bailey castle built during the Norman period.[1] The motte is 49 m in diameter, protected by an 11 m wide ditch.[2] The castle's crescent-shaped bailey and three rectangular enclosures of uncertain medieval date lay alongside the motte.[2] The castle was built by the Normans on a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon estate centre, a common practice after the Norman conquest of England.[3]

The site was excavated in 1987 before the development of much of the surrounding land, including the enclosures, for local housing.[2] The castle was bought by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust in 2006 and is a scheduled monument.[4][5] The Trust also works to make sure the castle is open for public access.[5]

See also

Bibliography
  • Creighton, Oliver Hamilton. (2005) Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Medieval England. London: Equinox. ISBN 978-1-904768-67-8.
  • Pettifer, Adrian. (2002) English Castles: a Guide by Counties. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-782-5.

Further reading
  • Ashwin, T. (2001) "Middleton Mount - Excavations in and around the Eastern Bailey of Middleton Castle," Norfolk Archaeology Vol. 43 (3) pp. 645–56.

References
  1. Pettifer, p.160.
  2. NHER Number: 3394, Norfolk Heritage Explorer, Norfolk County Council, accessed 8 September 2011.
  3. Creighton, pp.70-1; NHER Number: 3394, Norfolk Heritage Explorer, Norfolk County Council, accessed 8 September 2011.
  4. Historic England. "Middleton Mount motte and bailey castle (1016481)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  5. Middleton Mount, Norfolk Archaeological Trust, accessed 8 September 2011.


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