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Leeds Castle probably dates from Anglo-Saxon times, some evidence suggests that one of King Ethelbert's councillors erected a castle on the site in 978AD. No mention is made of such a castle in the Domesday Book, which suggests that whatever structure existed at the time was unoccupied and therefore untaxable.
Indeed, the idea of Leeds Castle having been built as a fortress - as is the case with Dover, Rochester and Tonbridge castles - would appear to be senseless as, for military purposes, Leeds holds no strategic position and defends nothing but itself. Perhaps it was for this latter reason that Robert de Crevecoeur erected a fortified donjon in 1119 where the present castle stands.
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