Middleton Mount

Middleton Mount
Norfolk, England
Middleton Mount
Shown within Norfolk
Type	Motte and bailey
Coordinates	52°43′12″N 0°27′27″E / 52.7201°N 0.4576°E / 52.7201; 0.4576Coordinates: 52°43′12″N 0°27′27″E / 52.7201°N 0.4576°E / 52.7201; 0.4576
Current condition	Earthworks only survive
Current owner	Norfolk Archaeological Trust

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, at grid reference TF660164.

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]

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.

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.
• Pettifer, Adrian. (2002) English Castles: a Guide by Counties. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 9780851157825.

References

1. ^ Pettifer, p.160.
2. ^ ^{a b c} 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. ^ Middleton Mount, Norfolk Archaeological Trust, accessed 8 September 2011.