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Summary

Motte of a Motte & Bailey castle survives as a turf covered mound 22m in diameter and up to 2.3m high. Slight traces of a motte ditch.

Monument Types

• CASTLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events

• Bradwell Motte
• Bradwell Memorial Hall, Vicarage Road, Bradwell

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007935: Bradwell castle mound: a motte and bailey castle 80m north east of St. Lawrence's Church.

Full description

The monument includes a small motte and bailey castle some 0.5 ha in area situated in close proximity to St Lawrence's Church, Old Bradwell. Central to the monument is the motte or castle mound, which survives as a turf covered earthwork 22m in diameter and up to 2.3m high. Depressions in the surface of the motte are believed to have been made during attempts to construct an air raid shelter during World War II. The remains of the once encircling ditch survive around the west and south of the mound as a spread hollow 5m wide and 0.3m deep, the remaining portion surviving as a buried feature. A small bailey survives to the west of the motte, defined by a scarp up to 0.7m high, running for a distance of 36m some 20m from the mound edge. (EH description)

Circular mound 22m in diameter, steep sloping sides. Rises to c. 3m from bottom of surrounding ditch (b3). Small bailey to W, also surrounded by ditch. Only part of this ditch remains; enlarged to form pond on S side, & other sides filled in (b5). No trace of bank & ditch on E of motte (b3).

Nothing known of castle's history. Perhaps thrown up by a member of the baronial family of bayeux, who held 1 of the manors of Bradwell, At the time of the anarchy in Stephen's reign (1135-54)(b2).

Mount & attached bailey, covers c. a half acre. Mount is 8ft high & retains traces of its ditch. Defences of bailey now only indicated by sli-ght scarp, except for slight bank on W. Ne part of bailey is obliterated (b1 (1913)). Castle never had masonry defences; earthworks becoming indistinct (b2)

Only archaeological evidence re dating of castle is in the form of c12/13 pottery sherds from graves in NE corner of churchyard, & garden of village hall (b3). NGR to motte.

SAM correspondence file PS/537/2/5 (Correspondence). SMK4666.

<01> RCHM BUCKS 2 P69 (Document). SMK2291.

<02> VCH BUCKS 4 P283 (Bibliographic reference). SMK2292.

<03> CBA GROUP 9 NEWSLETTER 1977 7 P93 & FIG 23 (Document). SMK2293.

<04> OS RECORD CARD SP 83 NW:3 (COPY OF 1969 SURVEY FILED ) (Document). SMK2294.

<05> ENGLISH HERITAGE 1990 SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENTS RECORDS/REPORTS PRINT-OUT/SCHEDULING LISTS OF INSPECTORATE OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS (Document). SMK2295.

<06> MKAU CARD MK M21/1 (Document). SMK2296.

Sources and further reading

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