Stow Green Castle, also known as Castle Tump, was an early Norman castle, probably built in the late 11th century. It was constructed at Stow Green, a village at the head of the Stowe valley, and would have lain on the edge of the Norman’s new lands along the English-Welsh border. The valley was an important route for travellers in this period.
The castle was a ringwork, originally around 32 m across, but now, due to damage on the northern side, only around 22 m in diameter. It was protected by a 3.2 m high rampart and a ditch, with the entrance on the southern side. The castle was only briefly used, however, and was superseded by the larger castle at St Briavels to the south.
Bibliography
- Currie, C.R.J. and N. M. Herbert, N.M. (eds). (1996) Victoria County History of Gloucestershire, Volume 5. Victoria County History: London, UK.
- Small, F. and C. Stoertz (eds). (2006) The Forest of Dean Mapping Project, Gloucestershire: A Report for the National Mapping Programme. English Heritage: Swindon, UK.
- Witts, George. (1883). Archaeological Handbook of the County of Gloucester. G. Norman: Cheltenham, UK.
Attribution
The text of this page is licensed under under CC BY-NC 2.0.