Biggleswade Castle was a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the market town of
Biggleswade
Biggleswade ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United ...
in
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
.
The existence of this castle was discovered by
aerial photography
Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography.
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircr ...
, in 1954, which showed the remains of a
motte and bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...
castle with a double ditch around the motte and a single ditch around the bailey.
Some excavation of the site was done in 1962 and 1968. The excavations found evidence of timber structures, as well as pottery.
Only
cropmarks
Cropmarks or crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform. Such marks, along with parch marks, soil marks an ...
and slight
earthworks
Earthworks may refer to:
Construction
*Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour
*Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil
*Earthworks (military), mi ...
remain. This site is a
Scheduled Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
See also
*
Stratton Park Moated Enclosure
Stratton Park Moated Enclosure (locally known as and sometimes informally referred to as Stratton Moat, also sometimes referred to as Stratton Park Moated Enclosure and Associated Manorial Earthworks or Stratton Manor Moat) is a scheduled ancient ...
*
Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 105 ...
*
List of castles in England
This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a lis ...
References
*Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, ''The David & Charles Book of Castles'', David & Charles, 1980.
External links
English Heritage Monument No. 362741Investigation HistoryEnglish Heritage cropmarks 2010
Castles in Bedfordshire
Scheduled monuments in Bedfordshire
Biggleswade
Buildings and structures in Biggleswade
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