Hill forts · South West England
Barnstaple Castle
Barnstaple Castle — castle in Devon, England, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Barnstaple · 0.8 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Barnstaple Castle is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1100. Constructed primarily of stone. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Owned by Juhel de Totnes. Wikidata describes it as: "castle in Devon, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.0811°, -4.0632°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: North Devon
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Barnstaple Castle stood near what is now the centre of the town of Barnstaple, Devon (grid reference SS557332). When it was built, it was on the western side of the fortified town and commanded a good view of both the town and its important river crossings. The castle was built on top of an early medieval cemetery.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Barnstaple Castle was founded in the 11th or 12th century; it was first mentioned in a 12th-century document. It is uncertain who founded the castle: if it was early it could have been built on the instruction of William the Conqueror as he subdued south-west England or if it was a later construction it could have been built for Juhel (Joel) of Totnes, who held the castle in the early 12th century. Juhel also established Barnstaple Priory around 1107. King Stephen granted the castle to Henry de Tracy, one of his supporters. In the 12th century, stone buildings were erected on top of the motte, possibly during Henry de Tracy's tenure. The castle descended through his family to another Henry…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.0811, -4.0632
- County
- Devon
- District
- North Devon
- Parish
- Barnstaple
- Postcode
- EX31 1EL
- Parliamentary constituency
- North Devon
- Established
- 1100
- Nearest railway station
- Barnstaple — 0.8 km
- Official site
- www.northdevon.gov.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q808516 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Barnstaple Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Barnstaple Castle 2018.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Barnstaple Castle?
- Barnstaple Castle is in Devon, South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode EX31 1EL), in the parish of Barnstaple.
- When was Barnstaple Castle built?
- Built or established in 1100.
- Who owns Barnstaple Castle?
- Barnstaple Castle is owned by Juhel de Totnes.
- Is Barnstaple Castle a listed building?
- Barnstaple Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Barnstaple Castle a protected site?
- Yes — Barnstaple Castle is part of the North Devon National Landscape (AONB).
- Is Barnstaple Castle free to visit?
- Yes, Barnstaple Castle is free to enter.