Ballands Castle | |
Location: | Penselwood, Somerset |
Map Type: | Somerset |
Map Size: | 200 |
Type: | Motte and bailey |
Coordinates: | 51.0778°N -2.354°W |
Condition: | Earthworks remain |
Ballands Castle was a castle near the village of Penselwood, Somerset, England.
Balland Castle was a motte and bailey castle, probably built after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, near the village of Penselwood in Somerset.[1] The castle sits close to the contemporary Norman castles of Cockroad Wood and Castle Orchard, and may have been built as part of a system of fortifications to control the surrounding area.[1]
The motte of the castle is now around 5 m high, and up to 9 m wide.[2] The bailey lies to the south, and both the motte and the bailey are surrounded by ditches.[3]
Today the castle site is a scheduled monument.