English Bicknor Castle was a Norman motte-and-bailey fortification, in the village of the same name, in Gloucestershire. It fell into disuse, possibly as late as the 17th century, and only earthworks now remain.
History
English Bicknor Castle was probably built in the 11th century, following the Norman invasion of England, as their forces pushed through Gloucestershire towards South Wales, although some academics prefer a construction date in the early 12th century. English Bicknor was a small village, lying on the historical border between England and Wales.
The castle had a motte and bailey design, located on a spur in the centre of the village. The motte was at the centre of two concentric outer bailey walls, producing a roughly circular defensive site, approximately 450 ft (137 m) across. The motte was placed against the south-west corner of the site, where the ground fell away from the castle, giving additional protection from attack. A square stone keep may have been built at a later stage on the motte, and the parish church and a hall were constructed in the outer bailey.
At the start of years of the civil war in 1140s, known as the Anarchy, English Bicknor Castle was controlled by the regional magnate Miles de Gloucester. The castle escaped destruction at the end of the conflict and was still in use at the beginning of the 13th century, when it was owned by William Avenel.
It is unknown when the castle finally fell into disuse, although buildings in its bailey were still in use as late as 1627, by when the village was in decline. During the 1830s, school buildings encroached on the castle site, and in 1880 part of the motte was demolished to make way for a garden for the schoolmaster, destroying a stone building, probably of medieval origin.
In the 21st century, only earthworks survive, which are protected under UK law as a Scheduled Monument.
Bibliography
- Amt, Emilie. (1993) The Accession of Henry II in England: Royal Government restored, 1149-1159. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press.
- Renn, Derek Frank. (1968) Norman Castles in Britain. London, UK: Baker.
- Rushforth and Knowles. (1931) “Proceedings at the Spring Meeting at Micheldean, Goodrich, English Bicknor and Newland,” in Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Volume 53.
Attribution
The text of this page is licensed under under CC BY-NC 2.0. Images on this site include those from the Geograph website, as of 11 August 2023, attributed as follows: “English Bicknor Castle“, author Stuart Wilding, released under CC BY-SA 2.0.