Dorchester Castle

In the civil parish of Dorchester. In the historic county of Dorset (Modern Authority of Dorset, 1974 county of Dorset).

Castle stood in the North part of Dorchester, the prison now occupying its site. Between 1154-75 it was in possession of the Earl of Cornwall and had become a royal possession by 1185. According to Hutchins, the castle occupied 6 acres, had a prominent mound, the defences being oval in shape, which implies that it was a motte and bailey. The earliest documentary evidence is of 1137 when it was strengthened by the Count of Gloucester. There are several references to it in the reigns of both John and Henry III, particularly to expenditure on repairs to buildings in the castle rather than repairs to the defences. It appears to have been disused from about 1290, and there are references to its stonework being reused to build the Greyfriars in 1309. Excavations in 1970 have located the main ditch in two places.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SY692909

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 1386099
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MDO18334 '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.

• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p22
    Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p23-4
    Wilton, Phil,1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p69 [slight]
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p129
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p220
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    RCHME, 1970, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol2: south-east (HMSO) p105
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p629
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p440
    Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol2 p366-7 plan facing p335
• Journal Articles
  • Draper, Jo, 1985, 'Dorchester Castle' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol107 p173
    Draper, Jo and Chaplin, Christopher, 1982, Dorchester excavations Vol1: excavations at Wadham House 1968; Dorchester Prison 1970, 1975, and 1978; and Glyde Path Road 1966 Vol1 (Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society monograph series 2) p61-93
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Bertelot, R.Grosvenor, 1943, 'Vanished Mediaeval Castles of Dorset' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol66 p65-67
    Barnes, W.Miles, 1899, 'Contribution to the History of Dorchester' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol20 p132-136 http://www.archive.org/details/proceedings20dorsuoft/
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p183
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#dorset5]