South Moreton Castle

In the civil parish of South Moreton. In the historic county of Berkshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

To the west of South Moreton churchyard is an earthwork consisting of an irregularly circular mound with a deep ditch excavated nearby all round it. "It lies close to the brook, and seems to have been intended for a small fortification, but as never completed." (VCH, 1906) Mound, South Moreton "The brook has been dammed back and the mound dug away towards the brook side to form the present mill dam." Betts, in making this observation offered to supply a sketch of:- "The site of the paved ford, embankments for 50 yards to the west now nearly ploughed away and the raised embankment or causeway before the rectory, which was dug down about 1880" Mound called 'Fossatum Castelli in 1220. (VCH, 1906, 1923, Betts) This mound, situated in a position commanding an alleged ford, has the appearance of a motte although it is of no great height and, on the west, the ditch is incomplete. The raised embankment or causeway in front of the rectory, referred to by Betts, has now disappeared. The embankment running for fifty yards to the west exists now as a slight scarp. It does not join the mound but begins and ends on hedges and most probably represents an old field bank. (field investigators comments, 1963) The remains of a possible Medieval motte centred at SU 5574 8803 with a diameter of 35m was seen as an earthwork. The motte is flanked by a ditch, part of what is thought to be the moat which is visible for almost half of the circuit on the north-eastern side (Small, 1992). (PastScape)
A siege castle of the Anarchy is recorded at South Moreton and has been identified with a moated site at SU56248833 (qv), but it seems more probably, to me, that this castle was used, if not built, as this siege work.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU55748803

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 237488
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 2698 '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.britannia.com/history/berks/morecast.html
    http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/moreton_cast.html
    
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p76
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p11
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1923, VCH Berkshire Vol3 p498-504 [manorial history] http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43252
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1906, VCH Berkshire Vol1 p266
• Journal Articles
  • Betts, W.J., 1910, 'South Moreton' Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol15 p73 [note–download via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?berks_bas_2007]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Small, Fiona, 3-12-1992, RCHME: Thames Valley NMP