Ascot d'Oilly Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ascot d'Oilly Castle |
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| Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, England | |
Earthworks of the castle
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 Ascot d'Oilly Castle
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| Coordinates | 51°52′11″N 1°33′36″W / 51.8697°N 1.5599°W |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Earthworks only |
Ascot d'Oilly Castle is an old castle site located north of the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood in Oxfordshire, England. It is a very important historical site, officially called a scheduled ancient monument. Only a small part of the castle remains today, and it is also a Grade II listed building.
The castle was named after Roger d'Oilly. He was given the land by William the Conqueror, who was the King of England. Roger's brother also built Oxford Castle. Experts believe Ascot d'Oilly Castle was built around the year 1129. It was taken down not long after 1175. Today, you can still see some raised ground and wide ditches where the castle once stood. There are also tiny pieces of what was once a stone tower.
What Remains of Ascot d'Oilly Castle Today?
Today, the most noticeable part of the original castle is its motte. A motte is a large mound of earth that a castle tower or keep would sit on. This motte is about 32 meters (105 feet) wide and 3 meters (10 feet) high.
Discoveries from Excavations
The ruins of the main tower, called the keep, are on top of this mound. This central area is about 20 meters (66 feet) across. Archeologists Martyn Jope and R. I. Threlfall dug up the site in 1946-1947 and again in 1959.
Their digs in 1946-1947 found many interesting items. These included pottery from the 12th century, known as shelly ware. The excavations also showed something surprising. The castle was first built on flat ground. Then, a large clay mound was piled up around it to make it stronger. This is different from how many castles were built, where the mound was made first. Only small traces of the tower are left. These traces suggest the tower was about 11 square meters (118 square feet) with walls 2 meters (6.6 feet) thick.
Nearby Castles
Ascot d'Oilly Castle is very close to another old fort called Ascott Earl Castle. This other castle was built on a nearby piece of land at the other end of the same village. It's quite unusual to have two castles so close together. They are only about 550 meters (1,800 feet) apart!
What makes these two castles truly unique is that they were never used to fight against each other. Even though they were so close, there are no records of battles between them. Ascot d'Oilly Castle is also near Leafield Castle, which is only 2.7 miles (4.3 kilometers) away. It's possible that these three forts worked together to defend the area of West Oxfordshire.
