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Dorchester Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Dorkecestre; Dorecestre; Dorcestre

In the civil parish of Dorchester.
In the historic county of Dorset.
Modern Authority of Dorset.
1974 county of Dorset.

OS Map Grid Reference: SY692909
Latitude 50.71691° Longitude -2.43763°

Dorchester Castle has been described as a certain Timber Castle, and also as a certain Masonry Castle.

There are no visible remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Castle stood in the North part of Dorchester, the prison now occupying its site. Between 1154-75 it was in possession of the Earl of Cornwall and had become a royal possession by 1185. According to Hutchins, the castle occupied 6 acres, had a prominent mound, the defences being oval in shape, which implies that it was a motte and bailey. The earliest documentary evidence is of 1137 when it was strengthened by the Count of Gloucester. There are several references to it in the reigns of both John and Henry III, particularly to expenditure on repairs to buildings in the castle rather than repairs to the defences. It appears to have been disused from about 1290, and there are references to its stonework being reused to build the Greyfriars in 1309. Excavations (in 1970) have located the main ditch in two places. (PastScape)

Out of whose ruins the priory was built, was raised, as some suppose, by the Romans, who walled the town; or, as others, re-built by William the Conqueror, after it had been destroyed by the Danes. The site of it, still retaining its name, belonged to the Priory, and at its dissolution went to the same owners. It lies on the north side of Sheep Lane, on a rising ground, a little west of the Priory, and about a furlong east from Poundbury; commanding the vale on the north, and the town on the south and east, near the river, which runs at its foot. The area contains about six acres; its form oval. Towards the north-west part was an eminence higher than the rest, still called the Castle Mount; and on the edge of the precipice was a rampart of earth, like a bastion; but these were necessarily removed when the ground was levelled. There is a small rampart and ditch visible on the north and east sides. When the Presbyterian meetinghouse was built, about 1720, on digging the foundations, a large cavity was discovered, made through the chalk, leading from the castle to the town, and a lesser one on each side the former, all very deep ; perhaps a subterraneous communication with the town. (Hutchins 1868 - original edition published 1774)

Speed's plan of c. 1611 shows the site as unoccupied with several mounds. The 1771 plan reproduced in Hutchins shows the oval form some ramparts and a mount.

A ditch, approximately 4.5 metres deep, has been found on the east and south west sides of the prison wall (Draper and Chaplin). It would seem the prison wall roughly lies on the line of the castle palisade and Baxter suggests the motte was in the north west corner of the site. Interestingly the castle was not sited in the corner of the existing urban defences as was more usual.
Links to mapping and other online resources
Data >
PastScape   County HER       Listing   I. O. E.
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OS getamap   Streetmap   Old-Maps   Where's the path      
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Sources of information, references and further reading

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage, County Historic Environment Records and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself. The information within this site is provided freely by me for educational purposes only.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.
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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
This record last updated on Friday, May 3, 2013
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