Ascot d'Oilly Castle
| Ascot d'Oilly Castle | |
|
Oxfordshire | |
|---|---|
 Earthworks of Ascot d'Oilly Castle | |
| Type: | Castle |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP304191 |
| Location: | 51°52’11"N, 1°33’36"W |
| Village: | Ascott-under-Wychwood |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Earthworks only |
Ascot d'Oilly Castle stood just to the north of Ascott d'Oyley, a part of the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood in the north-west of Oxfordshire. The remains are a scheduled ancient monument.[1] A fragment of the castle remains and is a Grade II listed building.[2]
The castle was named after Roger d'Oilly who was granted it by William the Conqueror and whose brother built Oxford Castle. It is thought that the castle was built around 1129 and it was demolished soon after 1175.
There are fragmentary remains of a stone tower. The remains consist of raised ground surrounded by broad ditching.
Today the motte of the original castle survives as a mound, around 35 yards wide and ten feet high. The ruins of the keep are to be found on top of this mound in the central 60-foot area.
The castle was excavated by Martyn Jope and R. I. Threlfall in 1946–1947[3] and then in 1959. Excavations carried out in 1946–1947 not only unearthed a number of important artefacts such as 12th-century shelly ware pottery,[1][4] they also showed how earth was piled up around the outside of a square tower for fortification i.e the castle was built on ground level and then the clay mound, that survives to date, was built around it, instead of the castle being built on a raised mound from the start.[5][6] Only traces of the tower remain and they suggest that it was about 120 square feet, with walls 6 feet thick.[7]
The castle is very close to another fortification, Ascott Earl Castle, built on an adjacent estate at the other end of the village.[8] These two castles are considered unique, as they are in close proximity, being only 600 yards apart, yet they have never been used in armed struggle against each other.[9]
The castle is also very close to Leafield Castle, only three miles away. It is possible that these two fortifications are linked with the shared defence of western Oxfordshire.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ascot d'Oilly Castle". University of Oxford. http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amps/oha/SitePages/ascot-doilly.html.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1182583: Fragment of castle (Grade II listing)
- ↑ (in en) Oxoniensia, a Journal Dealing with the Archaeology, History and Architecture of Oxford and Its Neighbourhood. Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society.. 2002. https://books.google.com/books?id=nQ8XAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Ascot+d'Oilly%22.
- ↑ Society, Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological (1953) (in en). Transactions - Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. https://books.google.com/books?id=BYtnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ascot+d'Oilly+castle%22.
- ↑ Gerrard, Chris (2003-10-04) (in en). Mediæval Archaeology: Understanding Traditions and Contemporary Approaches. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-56606-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=4PmCAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Ascot+d%27Oilly%22&pg=PA266.
- ↑ "Ascott d'Oilly Castle (The Gatehouse Record)". http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/2933.html.
- ↑ Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980). The David & Charles Book of Castles. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 180. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3.
- ↑ Creighton, p.58.
- ↑ Creighton, O. H. (2005) (in en). Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Mediæval England. Equinox Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 978-1-904768-67-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=rr-ixYkUVcoC&q=%22Ascot+d'Oilly+Castle%22.
- Creighton, Oliver Hamilton. (2005) Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Mediæval England. London: Equinox. ISBN 978-1-904768-67-8.
- Bond, James (2001), "Earthen Castles, Outer Enclosures and the Earthworks at Ascott d'Oilly Castle, Oxfordshire", Oxoniensia 66, http://oxoniensia.org/volumes/2001/bond.pdf