The Marlborough Mound: Prehistoric Mound, Medieval Castle, Georgian Garden

Author:   Richard Barber ,  Brian Dix ,  Dr Jim Leary ,  Professor Oliver Creighton
Publisher:   Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN:  

9781783271863


Pages:   224
Publication Date:   23 August 2022
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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The Marlborough Mound: Prehistoric Mound, Medieval Castle, Georgian Garden


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Overview

The Marlborough Mound has recently been recognised as one of the most important monuments in the group around Stonehenge. It was also a medieval castle and a feature in a major 17th century garden. This is the first comprehensive history of this extraordinary site. Marlborough Mound, standing among the buildings of Marlborough College, has attracted little attention until recently. Records showed it to be the motte of a Norman castle, of which there were no visible remains. The local historians and archaeologists who had investigated it had found very little in the way of archaeological evidence beyond a few prehistoric antler picks, the odd Roman coin, and a scatter of medieval pottery. It was to be archaeology which provided the most dramatic discovery after the Mound Trust began to restore the mound in 2003. English Heritage were investigating Silbury Hill, and arranged to take cores from the Mound for dating purposes. The results were remarkable, as they showed that the Mound was almost a twin of Silbury Hill and therefore belonged to the extraordinary assembly of prehistoric monuments centred on Stonehenge. For the medieval period, this book brings together for the first time all that we know about the castle from the royal records and from chronicles. These show that it was for a time one of the major royal castles in the land. Most of the English kings from William I to Edward III spent time here. For Henry III and his queen Eleanor of Provence, it was their favourite castle after Windsor. It marks the end of the first stage of the work of the Mound Trust, which, following the restoration, turns to its second objective of promoting public knowledge of the Mound based on scholarly research. As to its final form as a garden mound next to the house of the dukes of Somerset, in the eighteenth century, this emerges from letters and even poems, and from the recent restoration. Much of this has been slow and painstaking work, however, involving the removal of the trees which endangered the structure of the Mound, the recutting of the spiral path and the careful replanting of the whole area with suitable vegetation. By doing this, the shape of the Mound as a garden feature has re-emerged, and can now be seen clearly. This book marks the end of the first stage of the work of the Mound Trust, which, following the restoration, turns to its second objective of promoting public knowledge of the Mound based on scholarly research.

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard Barber ,  Brian Dix ,  Dr Jim Leary ,  Professor Oliver Creighton
Publisher:   Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Imprint:   The Boydell Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9781783271863


ISBN 10:   1783271868
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   23 August 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Preface Barry Cunliffe 1. 'One remarkable earthen-work': The Neolithic Origins of the Marlborough Mound Jim Leary and Joshua Pollard Afterword: The Round Mound Project Jim Leary, Elaine Jamieson and Phil Stastney 2. Castles and the Landscape of Norman Wessex, c. 1066-1154 Oliver H. Creighton 3. Marlborough Castle in the Middle Ages Richard Barber 4. The Mound as a Garden Feature Brian Dix 5. Epilogue: The Marlborough Mound Trust Appendices A Inquisition into the State of Marlborough Castle, 11 September 1327 B Castellum Merlebergae, by H.C. Brentnall, F.S.A. C Constables of Marlborough Castle D Marlborough Castle: Archaeological Findings for the Medieval Period Bibliography Index

Reviews

This book is testament to the success of a visionary project. * British Archaeology *


Author Information

RICHARD BARBER has had a huge influence on the study of medieval history and literature, as both a writer and a publisher. His first book on the Arthurian legend appeared in 1961, and his major works include The Knight and Chivalry (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971), Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe and The Holy Grail: the History of a Legend which was widely praised and was translated into six languages.

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