Ascott Earl Castle was a castle in the village of Ascott Earl

Ascott Earl

Ascott Earl is a village in Oxfordshire, England.Beside the river Evenlode are the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle....

, Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

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Details

Ascott Earl Castle was built in the village of Ascott Earl, to a motte-and-bailey

Motte-and-bailey

A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...

 design. The castle is very close to the fortification of Ascot d'Oilly Castle

Ascot d'Oilly Castle

Ascot d'Oilly Castle is situated north of the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire. It is a scheduled ancient monument. A fragment of the castle remains and is a Grade II listed building...

, built on an adjacent estate at the other end of the village. Ascott Earl Castle lies on former Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

fortifications; its motte is 56m wide and 3.5m high; the surrounding bailey is in the shape of a crescent, approximately 70m by 30m wide.

Today the castle is a scheduled monument.