South Cerney Castle facts for kids

South Cerney Castle was a special kind of castle built without the king's permission. It was a motte and bailey castle, which means it had a big earth mound (the motte) with a tower on top, and a walled courtyard (the bailey) below. This castle was built in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, around the middle of the 1100s. Today, you can only see small bumps and ditches in the ground where it once stood. These remains are now a scheduled monument, which means they are protected by law because they are important historical sites.

What Does South Cerney Castle Look Like Today?

Even though the castle was once a strong building, today you can only see slight earthwork remains. These are like gentle hills and dips in the ground that show where the castle's parts used to be.

In the 1930s, people dug up the area to learn more about it. They found an old square well and some items from the 1500s and 1600s. These included small coins called farthings from the time of King Charles I. Later, they also found pieces of pottery from the 1100s, which helped them understand when the castle was used.

The Castle's Story: A Time of Trouble

This small Norman castle was built to protect the village of South Cerney. The village was important because it was located along the river Churn.

Who Built the Castle?

Historians believe that a powerful person named Miles of Gloucester might have built this castle. He built it during a difficult time in England called the Anarchy. This was a period in the 1100s when there was a big fight for the throne between King Stephen and his cousin, Empress Matilda. During this time, many castles were built without the king's permission, like South Cerney Castle.

A Castle Captured?

Some records suggest that King Stephen's forces captured a castle in this area in 1139. For a long time, people thought it was South Cerney Castle. However, some historians now think that another castle, Ashton Keynes Castle, might be the one mentioned in those old records.

Confusing Castles

It can be tricky to figure out the exact history of South Cerney Castle because it's often confused with other castles. There's a castle in Cerne Abbas, Dorset, and another lost castle in Calne, Wiltshire, that sometimes get mixed up with South Cerney.

What Happened Next?

After the time of the Anarchy, we don't know much about what happened to South Cerney Castle. Its later story remains a mystery.