Medieval mott and bailey castle, Great Easton Castle, Easton Hall (EHER 1178)

The medieval motte and bailey castle at Great Easton is situated on a broad south facing spur overlooking the valley of the River Chelmer in the grounds of Easton Hall.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Motte and Bailey (NR). The Mound (NAT). <1> Mott and bailey castle, in grounds of Easton Hall. Mound is 130ft in diameter at the base, 43ft at the summit, 21ft high. Ditch is dry, 45ft wide, 5ft deep. The south arm of the bailey ditch remains with a short return towards the north, it is 34ft wide and 5ft deep at the most complete section. A pond south-east of the mount indicates the eastern limit of the bailey. At the south-east angle of the bailey is a small rectangular homestead moat, later than the bailey. <2> Norman motte with traces of rectangular bailey partly altered into a moated site. <3> In 1086 the manor was held by William de Warenne (two hides) and Mat. of Montagne (five hides). <4> The site was probably that of a manor house. The louvre is exceptionally large and complex. It "is outstanding for its great size, for the scale and shape of its apertures, and for the addition of finials as decorative elements on its upper part". <5> Area known locally as "The Mound". <6> Great Easton Castle. Scheduled No 15. <7> Diameter of mound at base is 35m. <8> Scheduled. <9> 1950. Field survey. There is a depression up the north side of the mount and another small depression on the top, 0.3m deep and 5m in diameter. Cart-track, disused in 1950, has cut through the middle of the south arm of the bailey ditch. <10> 1964. Excavation. Excavated 1964-1966 for the MPBW, in advance of ploughing. In 1964 a section across the 'bailey' ditch produced no evidence for date or function. Trial trenches to the north defined an area of occupation. Larger excavation on the edge of the moat uncovered features forming four phases of construction. Immediately south of Easton Hall's garden wall was a substantial building, possibly timber and daub. Destruction debris found: chalky boulder clay (not native to the site), burnt daub, pink painted plaster, mortar and nibbed roof tiles. Associated with this level were fragments of a pottery roof louvre. In the topsoil were fragments of green-glazed ridge crest. Pottery included shelly wares with soapy surfaces, likely 13th and 14th century and later sherds. Not enough to suggest occupation in the 15th century or later. <11> <12> 1965. Excavation. In 1965 work continued on the motte and bailey and south and south-west of the moat around the motte. Evidence for three main occupation periods. Alongside the moat was a ditch 8ft wide, 4ft deep into the natural subsoil, filled mainly with upcast from the moat. In this was early medieval pottery. Suggests motte is adulterine, 1139-1144. Another ditch was parallel, south of it and later as it was cut into 12th century upcast. Cut into the adjacent subsoil were post holes, slots, must be associated with one or other of the ditches. A two-phase kitchen was built over and to the south of the 2nd ditch. Phase I had a central hearth in a hollow. This was wholly or partly destroyed by fire at the end of the 13th century, perhaps. Phase II was built then, similar in plan to Phase I, with a clay oven in the south-east corner. Four successive hearths were on the hollow of the previous central hearth. It is likely that at least the western side of the kitchen was open. The kitchen was dismantled in the late 14th or early 15th century. The resulting hollow was filled with earth mixed with stones, gravel, tile fragment, clay, burnt daub, pottery of all periods including a few sherds of St Neots ware. The latter pottery was not found on this part of the site, suggesting an earlier occupation lay elsewhere. <13> 1966. Excavation. In 1966, excavation was west of the 1965 building. Sills for a 14th century building were found. The line of an east-west cobbled cross-passage was continued by sills for a corridor running from the west doorway. This building may have been the kitchen. The 1965 building is described as the 'roasting house' and two very substantial sills to the north-west may be the remains of a north-south hall. These clay foundations sealed the remains of earlier structures. A possibly early 13th century ditch may be associated with a curved slot 20ft long. Another ditch was an extension of one found in 1965 below the roasting house. Various post holes at this level couldn't be assigned to any structure in particular. Among the finds were parts of three mortars, one of Purbeck marble, two of Bembridge limestone. <14> April 1975. Field survey. The motte, locally known at 'The Mound' or 'Mount' is situated on a broad south facing spur. It is grass covered, and the dimensions are approximately as described. The surrounding ditch is now only a landscape feature, having been largely filled in and grassed over. There are no identifiable remains of a bailey. The length of ditch (about 10.0m wide) shown on the OS 25" (2nd Edn) from TL 60862532 to TL 60922534, has been ploughed out, and nowhere else can the assumed course be confirmed. The alleged homestead moat at TL 60932535 is probably a drainage enclosure which slopes north to south and is connected to a pond on the north side and a drain of similar dimensions on the south side. Published survey (25") correct. Site Assessment = Depression apparently due to a greenhouse. Mound is covered with grass and brambles, ditch is filled and mown over. On west side of mound, a scooped-out section and a depression on summit. <15> <16> in <17> 13th-16th century sherds collected by Sellers during the excavations, from the surface of the vegetable garden east of the hall. In Colchester Museum. <18> Other finds supposedly to go to Saffron Walden Museum. <19> 15 photos of excavations, one of louvre in SMR. <20> On NMP plot. <21> - <23> Area = 0.03 See also: <24>