Bledisloe Tump
Encyclopedia
Bledisloe Tump was a castle in the village of Awre
in Gloucestershire
, England
.
The first castle on the site was built in the 11th or early 12th century and was a simple timber
structure. The site was chosen because it occupied a natural high point overlooking the River Severn
. A later mound, 60 ft wide and 7 ft high was also constructed on the site, and it is suspected that this may have been an unfinished motte. It is possible that this was built during the period of the Anarchy
in the 12th century, and one theory is that the castle was destroyed by Henry II
after the conflict as part of a wider programme of castle denigration in Gloucestershire during the 1150s.
The site was later used for meetings of the local Hundred of Bledisloe
, and another theory for the creation of the mound is that it was specifically made to support these meetings. A manor house, Bledisloe Manor, was later built on the site, and the remaining earthworks were destroyed during the 1970s.
Awre
Awre is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,644. The parish includes Awre and the larger village of Blakeney, and also Etloe, Gatcombe, Two Bridges and Viney Hill.-External links:** at Forest...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, 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...
.
The first castle on the site was built in the 11th or early 12th century and was a simple timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
structure. The site was chosen because it occupied a natural high point overlooking the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. A later mound, 60 ft wide and 7 ft high was also constructed on the site, and it is suspected that this may have been an unfinished motte. It is possible that this was built during the period of the Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
in the 12th century, and one theory is that the castle was destroyed by Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
after the conflict as part of a wider programme of castle denigration in Gloucestershire during the 1150s.
The site was later used for meetings of the local Hundred of Bledisloe
Bledisloe (hundred)
Bledisloe was an ancient hundred of Gloucestershire, England. It comprised the ancient parishes of*Alvington*Awre*LydneyThe hundred was named after the hamlet of Bledisloe, once a tithing of the parish of Awre and now a hamlet north of Lydney on the A48 road, where the hundred met...
, and another theory for the creation of the mound is that it was specifically made to support these meetings. A manor house, Bledisloe Manor, was later built on the site, and the remaining earthworks were destroyed during the 1970s.