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Federation of Old Cornwall Societies
Registered Charity No. 247283 |
The comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of CornwallWith thanks to Philip Davis |
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List of Fortifications and Castles
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DavidstowIn the
civil parish of Davidstow. Alleged site of a motte and bailey. The earthworks probably represent the remains of a stone quarry in use from c.1680 until 1710 or later.This site
has been described as a Timber Castle.These are the earthwork and
timber castles of the motte and bailey or ringwork form which where
the vast majority of castles of the early conquest period, of the
Marches in the 11th and 12th centuries and of the period during the
reign of Stephen known as the Anarchy. They were generally fairly
short lived, although some such castles survived for centuries, with
the timber buildings and defences being replaced on occasions
sometimes in timber and sometimes in Masonry (Alderton
Castle in Northamptonshire was shown in a Time Team excavation to
have been built about 1070 and to still have been having high status
visitors in the C15-a fine piece of enamels horse harness being found
in the gatehouse). Some of the smaller low mottes may have been
adapted into moated manor houses, whilst others where abandoned and
replaced by manor houses of a more comfortable and domestic nature.
Timber castles varied greatly in size with some being massive
constructions clearly deserving the term castle, whilst other were
small mounds of minor knights and had a similar size, function and
social status as the later pele towers. These small mottes are called
'castle' but this could be considered a rather loose use of the term. The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX14608809
Sources of information, references and further reading
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THE GATEHOUSE 
