Dorchester Castle 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 (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...

castle in the market town of

Dorchester, Dorset Dorchester ( ) is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the ...

, southern

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

().

History

The date that the castle was built is unclear. Between 1154 and 1175 it was in possession of the

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall *Condor of Cornwall, ...

and it had become a royal possession by 1185. Both Henry III and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

spent money on the castle. It appears to have been disused from about 1290 and there are references to its stonework being reused by the Chidlock family to build Dorchester Greyfriars in 1309. Certainly it was abandoned by 1422.

Dorchester Prison HM Prison Dorchester was a local men's prison, located in Dorchester in Dorset, England. The prison was operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and closed in January 2014. History Erected during the 19th century, the prison buildings are a ...

occupies its site – originally to the north of the town, with a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

Priory further east, but nothing of the castle or the priory remain. However, in 1720, two underground passages were discovered while building a chapel: these once connected the castle to the town proper. In the 1800s, a bastion-like rampart still existed, and a small rampart and ditch were visible on the north and east sides. The gatehouse was built in 1790 and has been designated as a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

Castle-class

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

No. 4090 was named after the castle.

Governors

There are some records of people associated with the castle: * 1216–17 – John Marshall, Earl of Pembroke was appointed governor * 1270 – William Belet was granted the castle along with a park

Notes

References

*Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, ''The David & Charles Book of Castles'', David & Charles, 1980. .

External links

* 1309 disestablishments Castles in Dorset History of Dorset Buildings and structures in Dorchester, Dorset Former castles in England {{England-castle-stub