The Castle

The Castle is a Grade I motte and bailey castle, likely built with timber fortifications by Judhael of Totnes shortly after the Conquest. It is located in the north-east corner of the Anglo-Saxon burgh. The earliest shell-keep was constructed by Reginald de Braose around 1219 and was extensively rebuilt, along with the rest of the castle, by Baron Zouche in 1326. The castle later came into the possession of the Edgecombes of Cothele and the Seymour family, who placed it under the guardianship of the Ministry of Works in 1947.

Totnes Castle served primarily as a center for manorial courts under the constable and as a base for managing the family estates. The earliest remains, aside from the motte and bailey earthworks, include masonry footings on the top of the motte from an 11th or 12th century square timber tower. The remaining masonry, mostly from the 14th century, features a circular masonry shell-keep and sections of the bailey curtain wall. The keep is constructed from Devonian limestone rubble with red sandstone dressings and has a battered external face. It is topped with crenellated battlements that have merlons pierced for loom, and it is accessed by two stairways built into the thickness of the wall. A garderobe chamber is also located within the wall thickness, projecting beyond the wall line and lit by a pair of crossed loops. The bailey curtain wall is made of pitched limestone rubble. The hall and other domestic buildings that once stood in the bailey have not survived. Flanking the entrance to the site are two granite pillars, possibly taken from the Exchange built in 1616 and demolished in 1878. The site is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.