Castle Remains

Merdon Castle stands on a ridge of rising ground, north of Hursley Park House. Its earthworks, with ramparts up to 60 feet (18 m) above the floor of the dry ‘moat’, were divided into two parts: the north part enclosed the main apartments; the south part (the bailey) enclosed stables, barns and other outhouses. The medieval earth works were set in the middle of an Iron Age hill fort whose earthworks are most pronounced to the east with a rampart (now) of about 14 feet (4.2 m) above a shallow ditch. Because the castle is small, it is almost certain that the area between the castle and this Iron Age ring was occupied by the Bishop’s lesser attendants - such as his guards.

It is certain that, to save expense and labour, each successive occupant of the site would have made use of, and added to, the works of earlier occupants, especially for defence. Pales and ditches are frequently referred to in the Bishop of Winchester’s accounts, and these are still visible throughout the Park. For 300 years within the earthworks of both the inner circle and the bailey, there had been a farm (now replaced by the present ‘Home Farm’ complex). This was dismantled some 150 years ago, but such occupation of the site, with the main track running through it, must have disturbed or obliterated many traces of earlier occupation.

In the north enclosure of the castle, the west bank has a flint wall partially buried in it. In the centre of the north bank are the substantial remains of a small tower 38 feet square (11.4 metres), now two stories high, and divided into two chambers by a stout cross wall. Its walls are flint with ashlar quoins (dressed stones principally used for doors, windows and corners), but the tower is now too badly damaged for any features to be

[ Page 18 missing? ]

adjacent to the tower the ‘moat’ is spectacular in spite of the in-fill of brambles and undergrowth,and the considerable width to be spanned for a supposed entrance seems impractical. Despite destruction of the castle fabric in the 15th century, its remains are in better shape than the remains of some of Bishop Henry’s other castles. Merdon’s site has benefited from being off the tourist’s map, largely because of its hidden position within a private enclosed estate.

Aerial view of Castle from the south-west, 1993