Yielden Castle was a twelfth-century castle located in
Yelden
Yielden or Yelden is a village in Bedfordshire, near the borders with Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. It lies on the River Til which feeds into the Great Ouse valley and is about above sea level. It is approximately north of Bedford, sout ...
in the county of
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
, England.
Details
Yielden Castle has also been known, or recorded as, ''"Yeldon Castle"'', ''"Yelden Castle"'', ''"Giuelden Castle"'' and ''"Yielding Castle"''. It was a
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
that had two baileys. It was first mentioned in historical records in 1173 and was the stronghold of the Trailly family until the thirteenth century. The castle was in decay by 1360.
Excavations were done on the site in 1881 and 1882. A thirteenth century stone curtain was found at that time. Today, it is little more than an earthworks mound, though some remains can be seen. 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 ...
.
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 10 ...
*
List of castles in England
References
Britain Express
Castles in Bedfordshire
Scheduled monuments in Bedfordshire
Borough of Bedford
{{England-castle-stub