It was built between 1068 and 1086 by Baldwin FitzGilbert following a revolt in Devon against Norman rule, and formed the centre of the Honour of Okehampton, guarding a crossing point across the West Okement River.

The de Courtenays were heavily involved in the 15th century Wars of the Roses and Okehampton Castle was frequently confiscated.

Renovation work began properly in the 20th century, first under private ownership and then, more extensively, after the castle was acquired by the state.

[1] William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxon forces at the battle of Hastings in 1066, but violence continued to flare up periodically for several years after the invasion.

[4] Baldwin's castle was positioned to protect an important route from Devon into Cornwall, including two fords that formed a crossing point over the West Okement River, and to control the existing town of Ocmundtune.

[6] Baldwin also established a new town near the castle about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away, complete with a market and a mill to grind grain.

[9] Robert was followed by his son John de Courtenay and by 1274, when John's son Hugh de Courtenay had inherited the property, the castle was reported to comprise only "an old motte which is worth nothing, and outside the motte a hall, chamber and kitchen poorly built", although this may underestimate the extent and condition of the castle.

[13] As part of this development, the family created a large, new deer park around the castle, replacing the older, unenclosed hunting grounds.

[14] Deer parks were an important status symbol in this period, and many nobles who acquired power and wealth for the first time chose to undertake similar projects.

[22] In the 15th century, however, the Courtenays were embroiled in the civil conflict in England known as the Wars of the Roses between the rival alliances of the Lancastrians and the Yorkists.

[26] Despite the battle of Sourton Down being fought in 1643 near Okehampton during the English Civil War, the castle played no part in the conflict.

[29] In the 18th century, the castle became a popular topic for painters interested in the then fashionable landscape styles of the Sublime and the Picturesque.

Richard Wilson painted the castle in 1771, dramatically silhouetting the keep against the sky, producing what historian Jeremy Black describes as a "calm, entranching and melancholic" effect.

[38] The castle was mostly built from local stone, with aplite from nearby Meldon and some beerstone from south-east Devon; the interior and exterior stonework would have originally been rendered with lime plaster.

[39] The castle's final design involved a visitor entering from the barbican in the north-east, along a long passageway up the hill, into the bailey.

[41] Seen from the deer park on the south of the property, however, the castle's lodgings and accommodation were on full display, with low walls and large windows.

[43] From the two large windows of the eastern lodgings, it would have been possible to gaze out across the parklands and appreciate the extensive views without seeing any trace of rural settlements or the nearby town.

[47] A passageway led up from the barbican to the gatehouse, probably originally guarded by a drawbridge and containing the accommodation for the castle's constable.

[52] On the far side of the chapel were the eastern lodgings, whose detailing mirrored those at Tiverton Castle, another de Courtenay property built in the same period.

[53] The motte, on the far side of the bailey, is predominantly made up of a natural rock outcrop, strengthened further with earth from the construction of the rest of the castle ditches.

[58] The 14th century keep had two sets of lodgings on the upper floor, similar in style to those in the bailey, and a turret containing a staircase, some of which still survives.

[59] The keep is unusual both for the period and for Devon as a whole, being a very strong defensive structure, albeit without any independent source of water or facilities to support a garrison in the event of a siege.