Poundstock Castle (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Poundstock.
In the historic county of Cornwall.
Modern Authority of Cornwall.
1974 county of Cornwall.
Medieval County of Cornwall.

OS Map Grid Reference: SX19999941
Latitude 50.76644° Longitude -4.55433°

Poundstock Castle has been described as a certain Timber Castle.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

Earthwork remains of a Motte and Bailey castle. A low motte with banks on the south and east rims to circa 6.5m wide, 0.7m high internally and external ditches to the south and east circa 4.5m wide and 0.6m deep. There is a central platform defined on the north and west by a curving scarp circa 6m wide and 1.6m high. internally 21m in diameter. A possible bailey is situated to the east. (PastScape)

A low motte with banks on S and E rims to c. 6.5m wide, c. 0.7m high internally and external ditches to S and E circa 4.5m wide, and 0.6m deep. Platform centre of motte which is defined to N an W by a curving scarp c. 6.0m wide c. 1.6m high. Internally c. 21.0m diameter. Located at angle of 2 streams and commanding Wanson Valley (Herring PC, 6-MAY-93, CAU Field Investigation). Presumably of Poundstock Manor, recorded in Domesday Book. Possible bailey to E, the only level ground where it could have been - lip at base of natural slope may partly define it (Fletcher MJ, Rees PG, Thomas SNH, Herring PC, 14-MAY-93, Field Visit). Field in which castle stands was called 'Castle' on 1840 Tithe Map (Poundstock Tithe Apportionment 1840, Field 1072 'Castle'). (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 912014.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 56614.

Books
- Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p. 136-43 (mentioned in text but not on maps)

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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