Deddington Castle

Deddington Castle is an extensive earthwork in the village of Deddington, Oxfordshire, all that remains of an 11th-century motte-and-bailey castle, with only the earth ramparts and mound now visible.

The castle was built on a wealthy former Anglo-Saxon estate by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. It was strengthened in the 12th century, with some stone defences added, but from the 13th century onwards it fell into disrepair, and the stone buildings were eventually dismantled and sold.

The castle played a minor part in the English Civil War, but after Deddington's strategic importance waned, the site lay vacant for many decades, used only for grazing and forestry.

In the 19th century the site was used for recreation and sports, until it was sold to the parish council in 1947. It now serves as a park and nature walk. The site is protected under UK law as a scheduled monument.

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History

Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, Odo constructed this large castle with two earthwork baileys and a central motte, intending that the castle administer his property in the region and provide a substantial military base in the event of an Anglo-Saxon revolt. Odo's estates in England were seized following a failed rebellion against William II in 1088, and Deddington Castle was taken back into royal control. The Anglo-Norman lord William de Chesney acquired the castle in the 12th century and rebuilt it in stone, raising a stone curtain wall around a new inner bailey, complete with a defensive tower, gatehouse and domestic buildings.

After de Chesney's death, his descendants fought for control of the castle in the royal courts, and it was temporarily seized several times by King John at the start of the 13th century. Deddington Castle was confirmed in the ownership of the de Dive family, who held it for the next century and a half. In 1281, the castle was stormed by a group of men who broke down the doors, and in 1312 the royal favourite Piers Gaveston may have been captured at the castle by his enemies, shortly before his execution. From the 13th century onward, Deddington Castle fell into disrepair, and contemporaries soon described it as "demolished" and "weak". It was bought by the Canons of Windsor in 1364, who began to sell off its stonework. The remains of the castle were reportedly used by both Royalist and Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War in the 17th century.

In the 19th century Deddington Castle was adapted for use as a sporting facility by the local gentry. It was sold to Deddington's parish council, who attempted to build tennis courts in the inner bailey in 1947. Following the discovery of medieval remains and a subsequent archaeological investigation, these plans were abandoned and the western half of the castle became a local park. In the 21st century, English Heritage manage the inner bailey, the eastern half remaining in use for farming, and the site as a whole is protected under UK law as a scheduled monument.

11th century

At this time Deddington was one of the largest settlements in the county of Oxfordshire, and the site of the castle had been previously occupied by the Anglo-Saxons, who may have used the location to administer one of their landed estates. Odo was the half-brother of William the Conqueror, who granted the bishop vast lands in England after the invasion, spread across 22 different counties. Deddington was one of the richest of Odo's new manors and was at the centre of his Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire estates. The castle was probably built to act as the ''caput