Local Castles

Middleton Stoney Castle 

The earliest reference to a castle at Middleton Stoney was in 1194, but it was likely built shortly after the Norman Conquest (1066). The motte-and-bailey structure was probably the work of Richard de Camville, who was lord of the manor of Middleton during the 12th century.

King John ordered the demolition of Middleton Stoney castle in 1216, after which it was never refortified. During the early 16th century, it was described as being "overgrowne with bushyes, but some peces of the walls of it yet apere".

Nowadays, only some earthworks remain.

Banbury Castle 

Between November 1973 and February 1974, archaeological excavations took place near the Market Place in Banbury, at the site of a castle which once stood there.

Construction of the castle began sometime between 1126 - 1136, commissioned by the then Bishop of Lincoln, and it was completed circa 1139. The original castle had a large curtain wall with mural towers, which surrounded an internal manor house. There is also written evidence to suggest that there was a chapel there, and that the castle was used as a prison - in 1222, two 'blasphemers' were incarcerated there. Throughout the 13th century, the castle was redeveloped, with two rings of concentric walls being added; however, over the next few hundred years, it became increasingly dilapidated due to neglect.

In the 1540's, antiquarian John Leyland wrote the following: "There is a castle on the north side of this area [the Market Place] having two wards and each ward a ditch. In the utter is a terrible prison for convict men. In the north part of the inner ward is a fair piece of new building of stone".

In 1564, it was recorded that "the castle aforesaid is in great decay and especially the outer gatehouse thereof, near unto which there is one little old ruinous house - sometime a prison - covered all over with slate, saving one little piece covered with lead". A few years earlier, in 1552, another document noted that the castle had it's own watermills, meadows, orchards and fishponds, all of which were situated on land adjacent to the building. The prison was in regular use from the 1580's until circa 1612, and held Catholic recusants as well as petty criminals.

During the English Civil War, the castle was initially held by the Parliamentarians, until it was captured by Royalist forces; following their defeat, it was decided that the castle ought to be demolished, with the materials used for rebuilding the town of Banbury (which had been severely damaged during the conflict).

By 1712, very little remained of the castle: "a small part of the wall of this [castle] is only now left, of good hewn stone; but the ditch went along the middle of the adjacent street [Factory Street] and houses are built by the side of it out of its ruins as people now alive remember."

The excavations of the 1970's unearthed foundations and fragments of the curtain wall and gate towers, although due to the aforementioned recycling of materials, these weren't complete. Analysis of the soil proved that this specific site was was never intensively occupied at any time prior to the castle's construction.

Several hundred shards of medieval pottery were found, as well as buckles, thimbles, pins, keys, horseshoes, door hinges and musket balls. Many of these finds dated from the 13th and 14th centuries, although the musket balls of course would have been from the Civil War in the 17th century. Some 17th/18th century clay pipe bowls and stems were also found in within the vicinity.

Evidence of meat consumption was found in the form of animal bones, identified as being from geese, fowl, doves, magpies, ducks, sheep, pigs, deer and cattle. There were relatively few foot and skull bones found, indicating that the animals were likely slaughtered off-site, butchered and purchased by the castle, probably at the nearby market.

The first image shows a photograph taken during 1970's archaeological excavations; the second shows an artist's impression of what the castle would have looked like from the Market Place (Source: https://banburyoldtown.com/medieval-banbury/).

Aylesbury Castle 

A motte and bailey castle was constructed in Aylesbury, either shortly after the Norman Conquest, or during the turbulent early 12th century; it was located in the area between what are now known as Bourbon Street, Temple Street, Temple Square and Rickford's Hill. It was probably largely made from timber, and possibly used as a royal palace on occasion. There are no longer any visible remains.

The image below shows a typical motte and bailey castle structure.

Broughton Castle 

Broughton Castle (near Banbury) was constructed circa 1300 by Sir John de Broughton, and from about 1550 onwards, it became the home of the Fiennes family, who still own the castle to this day.

It began life as a modest manor house, before being 'crenellated' (fortified) in 1406 by Sir Thomas Wykeham. It was Richard Fiennes who can be credited with the majority of the building's surviving features, as he spent a lot of time and money having it refurbished in the Tudor style of his day, and significantly expanding it.

The castle has hosted many guests throughout the centuries, including King James I and King Edward VII.

During the 17th century, William Fiennes (1582 - 1662) sided with Oliver Cromwell's cause, leading to the castle being used as a meeting place by Parliamentarian sympathisers; following the Battle of Edgehill (which took place nearby), Royalist troops besieged the castle, and succeeded in occupying it for a time. A lot of repairs had to be carried out afterwards, as the castle had suffered heavy cannon fire! Fiennes had wisely neglected to sign King Charles I's death warrant, thereby enabling him to make his peace with the Crown after the monarchy was reinstated in 1660.

In 2011, Time Team carried out archaeological excavations at Broughton, and unearthed the remains of a Roman villa on the site.

Ardley Castle

The map below shows Ardley - roughly 5 miles from Bicester - as it looked in 1898.

Within Ardley Wood, you can see the site of the former castle; this was a motte and bailey fortification, which was erected in the 12th century, during the period known as 'The Anarchy'. The castle was constructed on the site of an encampment used by Offa of Mercia during the 8th century.

Ardley Castle was either destroyed or left to fall into a ruinous state during the reign of King Henry II (1154 - 1189).

In 1823, the presence of tunnels beneath the castle was noted, leading from the castle to the nearby manor house. Presumably, these were installed as a means of escape, should either of the sites come under attack!

Ringworks and a moat surround the site - some of which are still visible, if you look closely. These defensive structures were probably added during Norman times, and reused during the later Medieval period as a dry-moated settlement.

Map source: Francis Frith Collection.

Beaumont Castle

Beaumont Castle was a motte and bailey or ringwork castle, once located in the village of Mixbury, roughly 10 miles from Bicester. It was probably built by Roger d'Ivry following the Norman Invasion of England.

The castle was abandoned by the year 1216, and private excavations carried out by two London brothers during the 1950's allegedly unearthed a dungeon and underground passage on the site; however, scholars have disputed their discoveries, so the truth is currently unknown. The name 'Beaumont' is a French term, meaning 'beautiful hill/mountain', and indeed, it was built on a small natural promontory (high point of land), overlooking a nearby stream.

Map source: Google Maps.

Wendlebury Castle 

It is believed that a medieval castle was once built over the remains of a Roman bath, near Wendlebury. The possible site is marked on the map in image one, made circa 1950.

Using a LiDAR map, it is a lot easier to make out the shape!

A little more info about the castle can be found here: http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/2979.html

You can also make out some of the earthworks on and around Graven Hill.