The Gatehouse website record for Ascott Earl

In the civil parish of Ascott under Wychwood. In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

The buried and earthwork remains of Ascott Earl motte and bailey castle and earlier Iron Age settlement evidence beneath the castle earthworks. The motte has a base diameter of 56m and stands 3.5m high above the present bailey interior. It has a flat summit which measures 45m from north east to south west and 30m transversely. The bailey is crescent shaped with its interior measuring 70m by 30m. It is bounded by a rampart bank which varies in width from 3m-4.5m wide at its base and stands up to 1.7m high in places. Beyond this, enclosing the bailey on all but the east side of the motte, is a largely infilled outer ditch which measures between 12m and 20m wide. Limited excavation work and other observations since the castle was first identified in 1946 by Jope, indicate that the castle lies on the site of earlier settlement including Iron Age and possibly Saxon activity.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP29701845

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 332260
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 3190 '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.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.

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