Cockroad Wood Castle

Cockroad Wood Castle
Charlton Musgrove, Somerset
Motte of Cockroadd Wood Castle
Shown within Somerset and the British Isles
Type	Motte and bailey
Coordinates	grid reference ST746321
Current condition	Earthworks remain

Cockroad Wood Castle was a castle near Wincanton but now in the parish of Charlton Musgrove, Somerset, England.

History

Cockroad Wood Castle was a motte and bailey castle, probably built after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.^[1] The castle sits close to the contemporary Norman castles of Ballands and Castle Orchard, and may have been built a system of fortifications to control the surrounding area.^[1] By 1086 the surrounding land was held by Walter of Douai, although no documentary evidence of the castle remains.^[2]

The castle was build with a motte and two baileys, running along a north-south ridge, with a possible entrance to the east.^[2] The motte today is 13.5 wide, up to 7.5m high and is surrounded by a 1.25m deep ditch.^[2] The two baileys were probably linked to the motte by wooden bridges.^[2]

Today the castle site is a scheduled monument.^[3]

See also

• Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
• List of castles in England

Bibliography

• Creighton, Oliver Hamilton. (2005) Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Medieval England. London: Equinox. ISBN 9781904768678.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Creighton, p.62.
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Motte and Bailey Castle, Cockroad Wood, Charlton Musgrove, Somerset County Historic Environmental Record, accessed 18 July 2011.
3. ^ Cockroad Wood Motte, Charlton Musgrove, Gatehouse website, accessed 18 July 2011.