Monument record MDO2117 - Powerstock Castle, Powerstock

Earthwork remains of a Motte and Bailey Castle. The motte is an irregular oval 150 feet by 140 feet and 19 feet above its surrounding ditch, of semi circular shape, fot the motte is defended naturally on the north by the steep fall in the ground. The motte has been damaged by stone quarrying. the bailey is defended by a 15 feet high rampart on the east, and by a slightly lower rock-cutting on part of the rest of the enclosure. It is subdivided by a cross bank with two gaps. The castle is probably of late 11th or early 12th century in date.

A poor description in which the site is wrongly given as NE of POWERSTOCK but many carved stones have been found at the site and fragments suggesting a NORMAN building. The ruins have been extensively quarried to supply a nearby lime-kiln. In 1840 excavations were made in an sttempt to get water from a spot which appeared to be an old well. The site was in fact a rubbish pit from which came pottery, various animal bones, a spur, a horse-shoe and other iron articles. <1>

It is suggested that the outer work is Celtic. <2>

A motte-and-bailey castle, probably of the late 11th.c. or 12th.c. Expenditure on the King's houses at POWERSTOCK between 1205 and 1227 is noted in the Pipe Roll. The motte is an irregular oval 150ft x 140ft and 19ft. Above its surrounding ditch, of semi-circular shape, for the motte is defended naturally on the N. by the steep fall in the ground. The motte has been damaged by stone quarring. The bailey is defended by a 15ft. High rampart on the E, and by a slightly lower rock-cutting on part of the rest of the enclosure. It is subdivided by a cross bank with two gaps. The outer enclosure of about 9 acres is of triangular form, defended by a rampart. On the W. side is an additional ditch and outer rampart, and a ditch at the E end cuts across the narrow neck of the promontory. At the S. end of this ditch is an entrance and beyond the ditch to the E. a small defended platform. An oblique pathway through the defences at the W. end may represent another entrance. It has been suggested that the outer enclosure may be of earlier date than the castle, but only excavation can decide this point. <6>

Description in <6> correct though I see no reason for the supposition that any part of the earthwork is Iron Age. The main defence to the outer and inner bailey has been the scarping of the hillside in a contour following fashion and though this may follow in Iron Age tradition it is the easiest and obvious method of defence for any period. These defences are now topped by modern hedges. Outside the outer bailey the land falls steeply away on all sides but the east where the wide and dep ditch at A is a good substitute for lack of natural defence across the narrow ridge.

The western ditch has a maximum inner depth of 2.0m and at its southern terminal is an apparent entrance at B. The ditch is broken in the North by a modern break at C. The inner bank of the outer bailey in the West is weak and fragmentary. The interior of the inner bailey and the Motte have been greatly disturbed by quarrying though the ditch is but slightly damaged. OS 1/2,500 of 1929 incorrectly shows the rock face of the ditch around the motte as walling and omits other rock faces of the ditch. No trace of a building was found. Streams pass close to the site both in the North and in the South East. The site is grass covered. See AP's CPE/UK/2475/3164-5. <9>

`Poorstock' was the caput of the barony of the Newburgh family but acquired by King John in 1205. The "Kings houses" were completed in 1206-7 and were probably constructed within the bailey. Although Henry III stayed there in 1230, the manor again passed into private hands during Edward I's reign. <10>

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 318 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<2> Warne, C, 1872, Ancient Dorset (2nd Edition), 6 (Monograph). SWX1971.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1899, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 137 (Serial). SDO13.

<4> Allcroft, A, 1908, Earthworks of England. Prehistoric Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman, and Mediaeval, 121 (Monograph). SDO17956.

<5> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1931 (Map). SWX1540.

SY 52109585] CASTLE [GT] (Remains of)

<6> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1945, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1944, 69-70 (Serial). SDO44.

<7> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 183-4 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(3) Powerstock Castle, motte and bailey earthwork, 550 yards S.E. of the church, occupies a roughly triangular promontory, with the motte on the N. side, the kidney-shaped bailey to the S. of it and an outer enclosure occupying the rest of the promontory. The motte and bailey were no doubt formed in the late 11th or the 12th century but it has been suggested that the outer enclosure is of earlier date; there is no particular evidence of this but the question cannot be settled without excavation. The Pipe Roll records expenditure on the king's houses at Powerstock between 1205 and 1227.
The Motte is an irregular oval, 150 ft. by 140 ft., and now about 19 ft. above the ditch; it has been much damaged by quarrying for stone. On the N. side of the motte the ground rises in a roughly circular form, 68 ft. by 60 ft., but this formation may be due to the removal of surrounding materials. The motte is defended on the N. by the fall of the ground and on the other sides by a semi-circular ditch, partly rock-cut. The Bailey is defended by a rampart to the E., about 15 ft. high above the outer enclosure, and by a rockcutting, 8–12 ft. high, on part of the rest of the circuit. The bailey is sub-divided by a cross-bank with two gaps. The Outer Enclosure (about 9 acres including the motte and bailey) is of roughly triangular form. It is defended by a rampart, with the addition of a ditch and outer rampart on the W. side and a ditch at the E. end cutting across the narrow neck of the promontory. At the S. end of this ditch is an entrance and beyond the ditch to the E. is a small defended platform. An oblique pathway through the defences on the W. side may represent another entrance.'

<8> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1953, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1952, 84 (Serial). SDO52.

<9> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 04-MAY-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<10> Allen Brown, R, Colvin, H M, and Taylor, A J, 1963, The history of the King's Works, Volume 2: the Middle Ages, 987-8 (Monograph). SDO18003.

<11> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 345 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<12> Cathcart-King, D J, 1983, Castellarium anglicanum: an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands, 127 (Monograph). SDO16340.

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882621 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Powerstock Castle, Dorset

<14> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/132/5 (Index). SDO14738.

VIEW OF CASTLE REMAINS FROM SOUTH-EAST, PROBABLY LATE C11-C12 SOME CARVED STONES AND MASONRY SURVIVES, BUT THE RUINS HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVELY ROBBED

<15> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/132/6 (Index). SDO14738.

VIEW FROM EAST OF LATE C11-C12 CASTLE

<16> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450881 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 4 2023 10:58AM