Beaumont Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beaumont Castle |
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| Mixbury, Oxfordshire, England | |
 Beaumont Castle
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| Coordinates | 52°00′07″N 1°06′47″W / 52.002°N 1.113°W |
| Type | Possible Motte and bailey or ringwork |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Limited earthworks remain |
Beaumont Castle was a medieval castle located in Mixbury, Oxfordshire, England. Today, only some earthworks (changes in the land) remain where the castle once stood.
What Was Beaumont Castle?
Beaumont Castle was likely a type of early castle known as a motte and bailey or a ringwork. These were common castles built after the Norman invasion in 1066.
- A motte and bailey castle had a large mound of earth (the motte) with a wooden tower on top. Below the motte was a walled courtyard (the bailey) where people lived and worked.
- A ringwork castle was similar, but it had a circular or oval-shaped earth bank and ditch instead of a tall mound.
The castle was probably named Beaumont because it sat on a natural high point (a "promontory") that looked over a nearby stream. "Beaumont" means "beautiful hill" in French.
History of Beaumont Castle
Historians believe that Beaumont Castle was probably built by a Norman lord named Roger d'Ivry. He would have built it sometime after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Castles like this helped the Normans control the lands they had just conquered.
The castle was not used for very long. It was abandoned sometime before the year 1216. This means it was likely used for less than 150 years.
In 1954 and 1955, two brothers from London claimed they found a dungeon and an underground passage at the castle site. However, experts and scholars are not sure if these discoveries were real.
Today, the site of Beaumont Castle is protected as a scheduled monument. This means it is an important historical site that must be preserved.
