History

Balland Castle was a motte and bailey castle, probably built after the Norman conquest of England

Norman conquest of England

The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...

 in 1066, near the village of Penselwood in Somerset. The castle sits close to the contemporary Norman castles of Cockroad Wood

Cockroad Wood Castle

Cockroad Wood Castle was a castle near Wincanton but now in the parish of Charlton Musgrove, Somerset, England.-History:Cockroad Wood Castle was a motte and bailey castle, probably built after the Norman conquest of England in 1066...

 and Castle Orchard, and may have been built as part of a system of fortifications to control the surrounding area.

The motte of the castle is now around 5 m high, and up to 9 m wide. The bailey lies to the south, and both the motte and the bailey are surrounded by ditches.

Today the castle site is a scheduled monument.