HER 387 DESCRIPTION:- Scheduled Monument Description:- The monument includes a motte and bailey castle situated on high ground, known as Castle Tump. The castle was granted temporarily to William de Braose between 1148 and 1154 by Roger, Earl of Hereford. The motte was considered to be a meeting place for Botloes Hundred. The visible remains include the large mound of the motte, with the flattened area of the bailey surrounding it and extending to the south. The motte stands to about 14m, and has a flattened top about 8m in diameter. There are no signs of any structures on top of the mound, although these will survive as buried features. About 6m from the base of the motte on its north side is a bank generally about 1m high, but rising to 2m in places, which now forms a field boundary. This was the boundary of the bailey on this side. The bailey follows the field boundary around to the south shelving off sharply beyond this. On the south side the change in levels between the bailey and the land outside is about 2.5m, and the bailey appears to have been terraced. It is reported that a double bank on the line of the bailey was removed in 1946-47. About 5m from the base of the motte on its north west side is a pond 15m long, 3m wide and about 0.7m deep, thought to be spring fed, which may be the remains of the moat which would have encircled the motte. A number of features are excluded from the scheduling; these are the post and wire fences, the brick wall bounding the property on the west side and the cement and post and wire fence above it, although the ground beneath all these features is included. The house and extensions known as 'Castle Tump' and its surrounding garden and outbuildings are not included in the scheduling {Source Work 2873}. Turf covered motte 8.3m high, traces of ditch on northern side. No trace of a bailey. Mrs. EM Clifford FSA writes "I visited Castle Tump on 17.7. 1945 and came to the conclusion it was a Norman motte, and that the bailey may exist on the SE side. {Source Work 862.} The motte south east of Dymock was granted temporarily to William de Braose by Roger, Earl of Hereford (between 1148 and 1154). {Source Work 196.} RAF aerial photograph {Source Work 863.} shows the site partially obscured by (orchard?) trees. {pers comm. S Brown} Castle tump - steep-sided mound on top of rise. Considered to be a meeting place for Botloes Hundred (however at Botloes Green - one mile to south east is a cottage called 'Hundred House'). 1977 - A watching brief was carried out by Committee for Rescue Archaeology in Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset on a leveled site south of the earthwork, at Castle Tump. {Source Work 5967.} 1977 - A watching brief was undertaken at Castle Tump, Dymock by Pat Garrod of the Gloucester Excavation Unit during the construciton of a new dutch barn, forecourt and driveway and as part of a road improvement scheme. The works observed for the barn, forecourt and driveway revealed no archaeological features. As part of the road works, part of the motte and bailey was cut back, this showed a section through the bailey which seemed to consist of natural rock with several large 18th and 19th century rubbish pits cut into the surface. Possible find of a mortar referred to in notes but current location unclear {Source Work 11757.} A site visit to Castle Tump, Dymock was undertaken by Jon Hoyle of Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service in relation to a planning application for an extension to the house (Glos 13007) the following observations were made. The southern and eastern boundary of OS parcel 2030 was the top of a scarp - presumably indicating the line of the bailey. A further scarp was noted to the north east of the motte although the significance of this remains unclear. Neither scarp was inspected in detail. 1990 - A site visit was made by Jane Isaac of Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service on 02/04/1990. The footings for an earlier planning application had already been excavated. They were observed by J Isaac - no archaeologically significant deposits were recorded. The motte is reported to have been subjected to a small trial excavation " about 7 years ago" to determine its artificial status. No details of this excavation are known. {Source Work 15854.} 1993 A subsequent site visit was made by Jon Hoyle of Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service on 27/09/1993 to observe the open footings which were to be re-used for an extension. {Source Work 12857.} The site is also mentioned in Cambridge Historical Journal, Vol 8, p185. 2007 - This area was mapped as part if the English Heritage Leadon Valley NMP Project: Medieval motte and bailey castle at Castle Tump. The motte stands 14 metres high and has a flattened top 8 metres in diameter. The flattened area of the bailey surrounds the motte and extends to the south, defined by a curving field boundary. A ditch remains visible on aerial photography as an earthwork. The motte and its surrounds are scheduled. {Source Work 4249.} 2019 - This monument was previously recorded within the Historic England National Record of the Historic Environment. That record, formerly held within the AMIE database, is quoted below: "(SO 71162934) Castle Tump (NR) (1) Turf covered motte, 8.3m in height, with traces of a ditch on the northern side. There is no trace of a bailey. Mrs E M Clifford FSA writes "I visited Castle Tump on Wed: 17 July 1945 and I came to the conclusion that it was a Norman Motte, and that the bailey may exist on the SE side". (3) The motte SE of Dymock was granted temporarily to William de Braose by Roger, Earl of Hereford (between 1148 and 1154). (4) A rapid examination of air photography (6a) suggests that the bailey may indeed have existed on the southeast side where the field boundary pattern suggests the possible presence of a curvilinear enclosure. (6) Additional reference. (7) Listed by Cathcart King. (8) A Medieval motte is visible from aerial photography, and has been mapped from the 1979 photos. The motte is marked as "Castletump", and is adjacent to the B4215 opposite Castle Farm (c. 250m away). The motte is almost circular, and measures c. 48m across, covering an area of 2,000 square metres. The motte has characteristic steep, even sides and a flat area on top. There are no signs of features on top of the mound, though there is a fair amount of scrub and trees in all photography. There is a slight earthwork, indicating a ditch 25m from the mound, and curving parallel to it. This ditch is c.35m long and about half a metre wide, and may represent the remains of the bailey (see 6 above). The curvilinear field boundary surrounding the motte suggests that it is an early field pattern. The motte is still visible, and in good condition in 1979." {Source Work 4249.} |