| Summary: | Okehampton Castle. The oldest fabric dates from the 11C with some evidence of 13C, much rebuilt and extended in early 14C. Constructed of a mixture of granite, metamorphic rocks and shale. The earliest structure is the 11C keep standing on its motte, there is some evidence of 13C buildings in the main bailey but most of the surviving structure dates from an early 14C rebuild and extension of the site when the keep was also enlarged. Dating from this time is the hall, the kitchen range, a chapel and priests accommodation, extensive lodgings, a main gatehouse and a barbican gatehouse. Further minor additions were made in the late 14C and 15C and the late 17C. The structure is now ruinous with the extant remains varying in their degree of survival but the external fabric is in places relatively complete. The motte and keep are to the south-west with the bailey buildings ranging down the valley to the north east. The castle is first mentioned in 1086 in Domesday Book when it was the centre of the estates of Baldwin de Brionne who was Sheriff of Devon. In 1173 the castle passed into the hands of the Courtenay family who held it until 1509. This castle holds a strategic point at the head of the valley and as such has great landscape value. From the extensive survival of the buildings a reconstruction of the early 14C layout is possible and it is one of the more complete castle sites in Devon. |
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