Wymondley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Great Wymondley

In the civil parish of Wymondley. In the historic county of Hertfordshire (Modern Authority of Hertfordshire, 1974 county of Hertfordshire).

Motte and bailey castle and probably manorial enclosure. The earthworks are of two dates and belong to two classes. They comprise of a small moated mound and bailey inserted into the South-West corner of a larger roughly, rectangular earthwork. Although the mount has been much lowered, the bailey banks still remain. The small cross ditch dividing the large enclosure seems to be a modern field division. Salter suggests the rectangular enclosure is a Roman Settlement but the PastScape records it as medieval.
Two conjoining squarish enclosures of ditch and bank lie immediately east of the apsidal C12 church, with a small earthwork in the SW corner. 'Old pots and things' were found the tiny motte (?) was dug about 1882, but the main strength lies in the bailey (?) which has a disproportionately strong bank. (Renn)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL21512847

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 365088
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 34 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/166/wymondley.htm
    http://www.hertsdirect.org/libsleisure/heritage1/archaeology/moreaboutarch/archsites/wymondleymotte/
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p43
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p106 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p220
    Renn, D.F., 1971, Medieval Castles in Hertfordshire (Chichester; Phillimore) p26 [plan], 27
    Page, Wm (ed), 1912, VCH Hertfordshire Vol3 p192
    RCHME, 1910, An inventory of the historical monuments in Hertfordshire p105-6
    Montgomerie, 1908, Page, Wm (ed), VCH Hertfordshire Vol2 p119
• Journal Articles
  • King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Braun, Hugh, 1938, Proceedings of the St Albans and Hertfordshire Archaeological Society Vol5 p208
    1937-9, Transactions of the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Society Vol10 p12
    Chalkley Gould, 1905, Transactions of the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Society Vol3 p10-11
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p317