How to spot a motte-and-bailey castle
The timber is long gone, but the earthworks are still out there. Here is what to look for.
Opening times, entry and access change. Check with English Heritage, Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland or the site you’re visiting before you set off. Details here show the date we checked them.
What to look for
- The motte is a man-made mound of layers of earth and stone, usually shaped like an upside-down pudding bowl, with steep sides and a flat top. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
- Castle ditches are always on the outside of the bank, which made the inside easier to defend. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
- Ditches were once steeper and deeper. Over 900 or more years, rain and wind have washed soil into them. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
- The timber has long since rotted away, and the earth banks have worn down. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
Where they hide
They were built in strategic places, sometimes on the sites of prehistoric or Roman strongholds. English Heritage: Castles Through Time Many later castle sites have a Conquest motte or ringwork hidden somewhere inside them. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
English Heritage’s Norman Castles page says an Iron Age mound was made into the motte at Skipsea, a castle from before 1086. English Heritage: Norman Castles
Some mottes were later reshaped into prospect mounds: picturesque hillocks with a good view over the land. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
Mounds that only look like mottes
Prehistoric and Roman burial mounds and flat-topped medieval windmill mounds can look like mottes, and have puzzled even archaeologists. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight
At the castle
The castle-spotting guide says the stone shell-keep follows the line of the original wooden palisade fence. English Heritage blog: How to spot a castle hiding in plain sight The shell-keep’s wall-walk has 30-odd crenellations, most of them pierced with slots for crossbows. English Heritage: Visit Totnes Castle
At Duffus the motte is a huge man-made mound with steep sides, and a wide ditch separates it from the bailey. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle, history and stories Historic Environment Scotland calls Duffus Castle, near Elgin, the best-preserved motte-and-bailey castle in state care. Historic Environment Scotland: Duffus Castle Statement of Significance
Wiston Castle (Cadw)
Wiston Castle, about 8km east of Haverfordwest, is one of the best-preserved motte-and-bailey castles in Wales, probably built by an early Flemish settler named Wizo. Cadw: Wiston Castle Cadw lists Wiston as free entry, open 10am–4pm. Cadw: Wiston Castle · checked 30 Oct 2026
Cadw says there may be livestock in the surrounding field, especially in spring and summer, and asks visitors to keep pets on leads. Cadw: Wiston Castle · checked 30 Oct 2026
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