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| Name: | Earthwork bank, Castle Bottoms, Hartington Upper Quarter |
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| HER No.: | 7140 |
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| Type of Record: | Monument |
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Designation: | None recorded |
Summary
Earthwork bank originally thought to be castle foundations or an earthen dam. The physical evidence supports neither of these interpretations.
| Grid Reference: | SK 056 677 |
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| Parish: | HARTINGTON UPPER QUARTER |
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Monument Type(s):
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (Unknown date)
- DAM (Undated)
- CASTLE? (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
Associated Finds: None recorded
Associated Events
- EDR4083 - Field survey, Fough Farm, by PDNPA, in 1997
Full Description
'At Castle Bottoms, Fough Farm, near Hollinsclough, there are traces of extensive foundations, divided into compartments, sufficient for some old castle or hill fort'. (1)
What was suggested as foundations for a castle is actually a small earthen dam, of some antiquity, but no longer in use. (2).
Neither of the above suggestions are supported by the ground evidence as there are no obvious earthworks visible today that fit either interpretation . The only identifiable earthwork is a long bank which passes across a boggy area parallel to a ruined wall and on the route of the right of way. If this is the feature that was interpreted as a dam, it is much more likely that it is a causeway across wet ground; alternatively it may represent a boundary. It could never be the foundations of a castle as it is neither large enough nor extensive enough and the siting is unsuitable. Equally it is unlikely to be a dam because there is no actual running stream or river in this small valley. The field above the valley to the east is known as 'Castle Bottom' and has been called this since at least 1614. This suggests that the idea of a castle in the vicinity existed before the dam/causeway was built and may have been attributed to the earthworks in the valley bottom later. No documentary evidence was uncovered for there ever having been a castle in the vicinity. (3)
<1> Turner, W, 1903, 'Notes on old Buxton and district', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal (Article in serial). SDR15870.
<2> NDAT, 1171 (Index). SDR14525.
<3> Taylor, H (PDNPA), 1997, Fough Farm, Hartington Upper and Middle Quarter, Derbyshire, archaeological survey, No.5, pp 13-14, illus. (Unpublished document). SDR20252.
Sources and Further Reading
| [1] | SDR15870 - Article in serial: Turner, W. 1903. 'Notes on old Buxton and district', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol 25, pp 159-163. |
| [2] | SDR14525 - Index: NDAT. 1171. |
| [3] | SDR20252 - Unpublished document: Taylor, H (PDNPA). 1997. Fough Farm, Hartington Upper and Middle Quarter, Derbyshire, archaeological survey. No.5, pp 13-14, illus.. |
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