English Bicknor Castle
Encyclopedia
English Bicknor Castle was a castle in the village of English Bicknor
in Gloucestershire
, England
.
The castle was built in the 11th century as a motte and bailey design, although some suggest a later construction date in the early 12th century. The motte lay at the centre of two concentric outer bailey walls, producing a roughly circular castle approximately 150 yards across. The motte was placed against the south-west corner of the site, where the ground fell away from the castle, giving additional protection from attack. A square stone keep
may have been built at a later stage on the motte, and a church was built in the outer bailey. At the start of years of the Anarchy
the castle was controlled by the powerful Miles de Gloucester
. The castle escaped destruction at the end of the conflict and was still in use at the beginning of the 13th century, when it was owned by William Avenel; its exact date of final ruin is unknown.
English Bicknor
English Bicknor is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 the population is 406. The village is close to the county border with Herefordshire, opposite which is the village of Welsh Bicknor...
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 castle was built in the 11th century as a motte and bailey design, although some suggest a later construction date in the early 12th century. The motte lay at the centre of two concentric outer bailey walls, producing a roughly circular castle approximately 150 yards across. The motte was placed against the south-west corner of the site, where the ground fell away from the castle, giving additional protection from attack. A square stone 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...
may have been built at a later stage on the motte, and a church was built in the outer bailey. At the start of years 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...
the castle was controlled by the powerful Miles de Gloucester
Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford
Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Brecknock was the son of Walter de Gloucester, who served as hereditary sheriff of that county between 1104 and 1121....
. The castle escaped destruction at the end of the conflict and was still in use at the beginning of the 13th century, when it was owned by William Avenel; its exact date of final ruin is unknown.