Culverhay Castle
Encyclopedia
Culverhay Castle, also known as Englishcombe Castle, was a castle
in the village of Englishcombe
, Somerset
, England.
design in the town of Englishcombe, Somerset. The ringwork ditch and bank, up to 5 feet deep, is to the east of the village church. During the first half of the 13th century a stone circular keep
and low curtain wall was built at the castle, along with one or two other stone buildings within the ringwork. A medieval deer park
may have been attached to the castle.
Estimates of the date of the original building range from the late 11th century to the early 13th century.
The castle site was excavated by archaeologist Nigel Pounds in 1938, and today is a scheduled monument.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the village of Englishcombe
Englishcombe
Englishcombe is a village and civil parish in Bath and North East Somerset just outside Bath, England. The parish, which also includes the hamlets of Inglesbatch, Nailwell and Wilmington, has a population of 332.-History:...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.
Details
Culverhay Castle was built in a ringworkRingwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
design in the town of Englishcombe, Somerset. The ringwork ditch and bank, up to 5 feet deep, is to the east of the village church. During the first half of the 13th century a stone circular keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
and low curtain wall was built at the castle, along with one or two other stone buildings within the ringwork. A medieval deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
may have been attached to the castle.
Estimates of the date of the original building range from the late 11th century to the early 13th century.
The castle site was excavated by archaeologist Nigel Pounds in 1938, and today is a scheduled monument.