Castle Toot, or Cleobury Castle, was a motte castle by the River Rea in the town of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire. It is a scheduled monument, first listed in 1951.[1]
The castle was built in the early 12th century and owned by the Mortimer family. Hugh de Mortimer rebelled against Henry II and as a result the castle was destroyed in 1155.
The site consists of a motte situated on a natural promontory on the east side of the River Rea. It is surrounded by a dry moat on three sides, but the fourth is a steep drop into the river. The entrance is in the northeast corner of the motte. Fragments of the walls and the remains of a gatehouse were visible at the end of the 18th century. In 1911, stones forming the base of a causeway or bridge were observed. The current house that is situated on the property was built in the 1950s.[2]
The earthworks remain largely intact.[3] Towards the end of the 18th century, some stonework of the entrance and causeway to the castle was visible, but has now presumably been buried or dismantled.[1] There have been no archaeological finds at the site, despite excavations for building works being made in recent years.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Castle Toot motte castle, 450m WSW of Mawleytown Farm., Cleobury Mortimer - 1012868 | Historic England". Historic England. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ Headland Archaeology Ltd. (2012). Castle Toot, Cleobury Mortimer. Archaeological Watching Brief. Archaeology Data Service. https://doi.org/10.5284/1031117
- ^ Somerset Fry, Plantagenet (1980). The David & Charles book of castles. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. p. 209. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3. OCLC 7547072.
- ^ "Heritage Gateway - Castle Toot motte castle". Heritage Gateway. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
52°22′55″N 2°28′12″W / 52.38200°N 2.47008°W
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