Kingsbridge Town Defences

Has been described as a Questionable Urban Defence

There are no visible remains

NameKingsbridge Town Defences
Alternative Names
Historic CountryDevonshire
Modern AuthorityDevon
1974 AuthorityDevon
Civil ParishKingsteignton

Medieval earthen defences extended to C10 saxon burh defences vanished. (Bond)

PastScape records Anglo-saxon burh only. "The church and market at Kingsbridge lie to the North of the postulated area of the burh. The parish of this church comprises the whole of the burh and its extra-mural area, and is carved out of the parish of Churchstow. There is increasing evidence from Wessex burhs that this relationship of defended area to settlement was deliberately planned, and is a proto-urban feature." (PastScape ref. Landscape History p. 33 ? full details).

Gatehouse Comments

Gatehouse suspects the proposed post-Conquest extension is one to include the church and market place and may well be fanciful. The Anglo-Saxon defences may have existed, although some doubt has been cast on these (Foote 2009) but post-Conquest use (other than as boundary markers) seems improbable. Given map reference is for parish church.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSX734443
Latitude50.2859382629395
Longitude-3.77809000015259
Eastings273400
Northings44300
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

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Books

  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 257
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Haslam, J. (ed), 1984, Anglo-Saxon towns in southern England (Phillimore & Co Ltd) p. 271-5, 278
  • Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) The plans and topography of medieval towns in England and Wales (CBA Research Report 14) p. 57-71 download/view online

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Haslam, J., 1988, 'The Anglo-Saxon burh at Wigingamere' Landscape History Vol. 10 p. 33 online copy

Other

  • Simon Foote, 21 May 2009, 'Early Medieval Fortifications and Urban Places in South Devon, UK: A Re-evaluation of Archaeological, Topographical and Historical Evidence' paper read at The Early Medieval Archaeology Student Symposium University of Sheffield online copy