Medieval castle of Stansted Mountfitchet (EHER 4551)

Stansted Castle, a ringwork and bailey, is 300 yards east of the church, with the bailey on higher ground than the ring. It was built by Robert de Gernon who came with William the Conqueror. It is open to the public as a reconstructed castle and Norman village. Summary from record 36531: C11 castle, seat of the Mountfitchet's, destroyed in 1215.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Castle Hill (NR) Remains of Castle (NR). <1> Stansted Castle, a ringwork and bailey, 300 yards east of the church, with the bailey on higher ground than the ring. The ring is circular about 1/2 an acre in extent surrounded by a rampart and dry-ditch. The rampart is 2.6m high and 4.0m wide at the summit in places and contains the lower courses of a flint rubble wall. The ditch is about 21.0m wide crest to crest and 3.2m deep from the summit of the scarp. In the centre are slight traces of a small round enclosure, probably the site of the keep. The defences are nearly obliterated on the south and west sides where the ground drops sharply away. Projecting towards the south from the line of the wall is a rubble wall, 4.0m long, 0.7m thick and 3.0m high. It retains some of the original surface of coursed flints and seems to indicate the presence of a tower on that side. On the east side, a gap in the rampart leads by a causeway into the bailey. The bailey, slightly over an acre in extent, is also defended by a bank and ditch, but with no trace of walling; presumably the rampart was strengthened by a wooden palisade. The bank is 4.0m above the ditch which is well-defined only on the north-west side where it communicates with the ring-work ditch. The entrance in the north is flanked by a raising of the rampart on each side, though the west side is mutilated. The rampart is obliterated on the south side and only a steep scarp remains. A scarp crosses the bailey east to west, possibly indicating a wall dividing the bailey into two wards. The area to the east of the bailey is disfigured by quarrying. <2> Built by Robert de Gernon who came with William the Conqueror. <3> Renn suggests a large keep similar to New Buckenham in Norfolk. <4> in <5> Plan. <6> Photos, some of land to the rear of 32 High Street after levelling of the site had taken place. Also an air view of the castle. <7> - <10> Stanstead or Mountfitchet Castle - open to the public as a reconstructed castle and Norman village. <11> Listed by Cathcart King. Little or no history, but this was the head of a substantial barony. <12> Examination of trenches illicitly excavated in 1979 revealed that several medieval features had been cut into by a mechanical digger. Weathering of the spoil heaps and trench sides exposed eight sherds of hard, sand-tempered pottery. The sherds had grey cores and red surfaces, apart from one sherd with grey surfaces and a red outer margin. One rim of a cooking pot and a sagging base are included in the collection. <13> <14> Finds are in Saffron Walden museum. <15> Overall the castle is probably 11th century, belonged to the Mountfitchet family. Destroyed in 1215, at the time it was held by Richard de Mountfitchet. Not rebuilt after 1215. <16> <17> April 1966. Field survey. A fragment of wall stands on the south west side of the ring, now 0.7m thick x 4.2m long and 2.8m high. In poor condition. No trace of a circular building foundation within the ring. This source has sections across the earthworks. Re-surveyed at 1:2500. <18> April 1975. Field survey. No change to survey of 26/4/66. <19> Pre-1998. Resistivity survey. Resistivity survey indicates at least four structural areas. Features noted included a kiln or hearth and a possible ditch, also a ring structure and an area of possible occupation in the central portion of the bailey. <20> In September 1979, H. Paterson (field monument warden) recorded some damage by vandals and several holes apparently dug up by treasure hunters while the owner was away. In 1981 a large hole was dug with shuttering in it. Visited by D.A. Priddy and M.R. Eddy. Owner knew nothing about it. In 1983 Uttlesford DC reported a machine-dug trench within the scheduled area. This was reported to K. Chant (field monument warden) and the DOE. Decision on prosecution pending. <21> <22> 1998. Watching brief. An archaeological watching brief was carried out on the site of the old railway sidings adjacent to the southern side of the bailey ditch of Stansted Mountfitchet castle. The excavation of a pipe trench was monitored along the north side of the development but no archaeological features were identified and no artefacts recovered. The soil was removed from the remaining area but the excavation was not sufficiently deep to encounter undisturbed natural subsoil. No archaeological features or artefacts were identified within the area of the development. <23> See also: <24> - <32> Area = 0.46 Description from record 36531: C11 castle, seat of the Mountfitchet's, destroyed in 1215.