Great Missenden; The Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Rook Wood

In the civil parish of Great Missenden. In the historic county of Buckinghamshire (Modern Authority of Buckinghamshire, 1974 county of Buckinghamshire).

A nearly square enclosure of simple plan and doubtful origin, possibly a medieval manorial stronghold but owing to the levels, the ditches can never have held water. The defences at the strongest part consist of a rampart 11ft high and a ditch 7ft deep. The entrance is on the NE side with a causeway across the ditch. On the SW side is another entrance, probably modern. (RCHME) Pieces of cooking pots dated to C12 by G Dunning were found in and near a pit inside the earthwork, close to the SW entrance. (Cockburn) The Castle (name verified). A well engineered defensive earthwork consisting of a rampart and outer ditch, measuring overall c80.0m square with round corners but not of uniform construction. On the NE side is the original central causewayed entrance with the rampart and ditch on both sides inturned into it. Here the internal bank is c2.0m high and the ditch from the top of the bank to the base of the ditch is c3.0m high. On the NW and SE sides, the defences progressively reduce towards the SW where the internal bank is c0.5m high and from the bottom of ditch to the top of the bank is c1.5m high. Here a modern way cuts the work near a circular pit which mutilates the inner bank. There is no trace of structure in the internal area and no levelling or interruption of the natural SW slope is apparent. The size, good preservation and the only known finds suggest this is a Medieval work. (PastScape)
Isolated from settlement, although there was a water mill 500m SW. The defensive construction, name and C12 pottery are suggestive of ringwork.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP90870043

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 346328
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 0017400000 '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://ubp.buckscc.gov.uk/ThemeDetails.aspx?UID=MBC564
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p35
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p29
    RCHME, 1912, An inventory of the historical monuments in Buckinghamshire Vol1 [south] p172-73 http://www.archive.org/details/inventoryofhisto01greauoft
    Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p315-6 [plan] http://www.archive.org/details/earthworkofengla00allc
• Journal Articles
  • Cockburn, R.W.T., 1934-39, Records of Buckinghamshire Vol13 p300