Marshwood Castle

Marshwood Castle
Marshwood, Dorset, United Kingdom
Marshwood Castle
Coordinates	50.7757°N 2.8458°W / 50.7757; -2.8458
Type	Castle
Site information
Owner	Private ownership
Open to the public	No
Condition	Ruined
Site history
Built	1205–1215
Events
Scheduled monument
Official name	Marshwood Castle
Designated	30 August 1960; 64 years ago (1960-08-30)
Reference no.	1002836

Marshwood Castle was a motte-and-bailey castle in Marshwood, Dorset, within the Vale of Marshwood. It was built by William de Mandeville following his elevation to Baron Marshwood in 1205 by King John,[1] and is first recorded as a built castle in 1215.[2] The castle is no longer standing, but ruins remain and they are a scheduled monument.

Honour of Marshwood

The castle was the Head of the Honour and Barony of Mandeville of Marshwood (usually referred to as the Honour of Marshwood),[3] which had extensive land holdings across the South West.

Remains

The remains of the castle are within the working Lodge House Farm, with barns and agricultural buildings encroaching on the earthworks. There remains the lower walls of a fortified house, which might date from the 1350s – 1360s.[2]

There are also various other remains around the site, including the former St Mary's Chapel, and various earthworks and buildings.[4]

Designation

The remains of the castle are a scheduled monument.[5]

The specific walls of the fortified house are listed at Grade II*.[6]

The castle appears on the Heritage at Risk Register.[7][8]

References

1. Hannay, Clive; Legg, Rodney (September 2010). "Marshwood". Dorset Life.
2. "Marshwood Castle: Official List Entry". Historic England.
3. "Historic England Research Records: Marshwood Castle". Heritage Gateway.
4. "Marshwood," in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 1, West. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1952. pp. 156–157.
5. "Marshwood Castle". Historic England.
6. "Remains of Marshwood Castle, 50 Metres West of Lodge House Farmhouse, Poorhouse Lane". Historic England.
7. Heritage at Risk – South West Register 2016 (PDF). Historic England. 2016. p. 135.
8. "Marshwood Castle". Heritage at risk register. Historic England.