Castle Toot, or Cleobury Castle, was a motte castle by the

River Rea The River Rea (pronounced "ray") is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. It is the river on which Birmingham was founded by the Beorma tribe in the 7th century. Since 2012, TA Media had obtained the rights and access to th ...

in the town of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire. It is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

, first listed in 1951. The castle was built in the early 12th century and owned by the

Mortimer Mortimer () is an English surname, and occasionally a given name. Norman origins The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point; ...

family.

Hugh de Mortimer Hugh de Mortimer (c. 1100 – 26 February 1180/81) was a Norman English medieval lord. Lineage The son of Ranulph de Mortimer, he was Lord of Wigmore Castle, Stratfield Mortimer, Cleobury Mortimer and at times, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle a ...

rebelled against Henry II and as a result the castle was destroyed in 1155. The earthworks remain largely intact. Towards the end of the 18th century, some stonework of the entrance and causeway to the castle was visible, but has now presumably been buried or dismantled. There have been no archaeological finds at the site, despite excavations for building works being made in recent years.

References

Castles in Shropshire Cleobury Mortimer {{England-castle-stub