Ascot d'Oilly Castle

Ascot d'Oilly Castle
Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, England

Earthworks of the castle
Shown within Oxfordshire
Coordinates grid reference SP304191
Current
condition		 Earthworks only

Ascot d'Oilly Castle is situated north of the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire. It is a scheduled ancient monument.[1] A fragment of the castle remains and is a Grade II listed building.[2] It was named after Roger d’Oilly who was granted it by William the Conqueror and whose brother built Oxford Castle.[3]

It is thought that the castle was built around 1129 and it was demolished soon after 1175. There are fragmentary remains of a stone tower. It was excavated by Martyn Jope und R. I. Threlfall in 1959, when 12th century pottery was discovered.[1] The remains consist of raised ground surrounded by broad ditching. Only traces of the tower remain and they suggest that it was about 35 feet (11 m) square with walls 8 feet (2 m) thick.[4] The castle is very close to the fortification of Ascott Earl Castle, built on an adjacent estate at the other end of the village.[5]

See also

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Ascot d'Oilly Castle". University of Oxford. http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amps/oha/SitePages/ascot-doilly.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02. 
  2. ^ "Images of England: Fragment of castle". English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?pid=1&id=251722. Retrieved 2007-12-02. 
  3. ^ Andy Stephenson: Ascott d’Oyley, near to Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, Great Britain.
  4. ^ Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980). The David & Charles Book of Castles. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 180. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3. 
  5. ^ Creighton, p.58.