Remains of Deddington Castle, Deddington, Oxfordshire
At the time of the Domesday survey in 1087 Deddington was held by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux who was the half-brother of William the Conqueror. As Odo’s Oxfordshire base, Deddington Castle would have played a significant role in the Norman domination of the region. A large, flat area was enclosed in the late 11th century by a bank and a ditch, to create a bailey. A motte (or mound) was built up on the eastern edge. An earlier timber building was replaced in about 1160 by a stone-built structure to the west of the mound. By the end of the 12th century the motte had been levelled and a curtain wall erected, with stone towers and a gatehouse that led to the outer bailey. From the end of the 13th century the castle fell into disrepair, and became a quarry for local building stone. Read more.
