Chipping Norton Castle

In the civil parish of Chipping Norton. In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Two distinct phases in the layout of the castle can be recognised in the present earthwork remains. The earliest castle included a motte, now known as the Mount, and a large bailey to the E which encloses the whole area in which the later castle earthworks were built. The motte has been altered by modern landscaping but remains clearly visible as a conical mound with a flat top c.30m in diameter. This stands c.6m above the meadow to the NW and c.2m above the top of the natural slope outside the present castle. The bailey has been partly levelled by the building of the later castle but survives as a low rampart bank c.4m wide and 1.5m high enclosing an area c.196m from W-E and 108m from N-S. It is surrounded by a ditch, part of which has been reused for the later castle and the remains of which are partly infilled. However, it can be seen at the E of the monument where it survives as a shallow feature c.10m wide. The original entrance appears to have been in the SE corner where the later castle entrance was also located. The later castle had two enclosed areas or 'wards' of which the one to the NE was the smalller. They were formed by levelling part of the valley slope and building high ramparts with deep ditches on all sides, except the NW where the rampart is supported by a natural slope. The enclosed area is 164m by 82m, divided into two wards by a NW-SE ditch. The ramparts stand up to 5m high and measure up to 8m across. The surrounding ditches vary in width and depth depending on the topography but are up to 8m deep and measure as much as 20m across on the S side. Internally, the wards are sub-divided by a series of low banks which are believed to represent the lines of walls, and a number of building platforms have been recorded, including a possible gatehouse. To the NW of the castle lies a broad meadow, bounded by the stream which runs through the valley to the N, and the base of the castle earthworks to the S. This meadow may originally have been a fishpond and certainly provided grazing for horses. This is not included in the scheduling. To the W of the castle lies a fishpond measuring 70m across and 150m long. This has partly silted up over the years and is now dry although often waterlogged after rain. Its SW end is defined by a large 15m wide bank c.4m above the base of the valley. The castle is known from documentary sources to have been built by the Fitzalans of Clun during the C12. This refers to the later visible earthworks and the earlier motte and bailey must belong to the period immediately after the Norman Conquest in 1066 AD. The castle is believed to have later been used as a seasonal hunting lodge by the Fitzalans, as were other castles around the royal hunting lodge at Langley in Wychwood Forest. The castle appears to have still been inhabited in 1268 but had gone out of use and was in ruins by 1566. When the house known as the Mount was built, in 1869, a number of finds were made which were said to show ..'beyond a doubt that the beautiful new mansion of H F Wilkins Esq formed part of the ancient castle.' (Oxfordshire HER)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP31082746

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
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 334897
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1146 '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.ecastles.co.uk/chipping.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p68
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p206 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p385
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Potts, W., 1907, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Oxfordshire Vol2 p323-4
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p167
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p270
• Journal Articles
  • King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    1905-12, Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society transactions Vol10 p251 [slight] http://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/Meetings1PagesfromvolumeXpart5-6.pdf