Miserden Castle was a castle near the village of
Miserden
Miserden is a village and civil parish in Stroud District, Gloucestershire, England, 4 miles north east of Stroud. The parish includes Whiteway Colony and the hamlets of Sudgrove and The Camp. In the 2001 census the parish had a populatio ...
in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, England.
The castle is a large
motte and bailey Norman castle, built before 1146 by Robert Musard, after whose family the local village is named.
[Pettifer, p.80.] The castle overlooks the
River Frome and included a wide
shell keep, protected by a stone wall and a moat.
[National Monument Records website]
, accessed 20 December 2010. The castle is positioned on a rocky spur, and the north side of the castle was probably flooded from the river to produce a wet moat, further strengthening the considerable defences.
[ Musard was killed by forces loyal to King ]Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
during the years of the Anarchy and the castle seized by Philip of Gloucester, but the castle survived into at least the 13th century.[Pettifer, p.80; Amt, p.44.] Some earthworks and masonry structures remain.[
]
See also
* Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 1050 ...
* List of castles in England
This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a li ...
References
Bibliography
*Amt, Emilie. (1993)
The Accession of Henry II in England: royal government restored, 1149-1159.
' Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. .
*Pettifer, Adrian. (1995)
English Castles: A Guide by Counties.
' Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. .
Castles in Gloucestershire
Stroud District
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