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Monument Types

• MOTTE AND BAILEY? (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)

Summary

A large earthwork mound with a flat top, possibly a castle mound, possibly associated with garden earthworks. It is 40m in diameter at the base and has a flat area 20m across on top. A ditch encircles it with the exception of a 12m stretch on the south-west, up to 2m deep.

Additional Information

Scheduled Monument description:
The monument at Shackerstone is situated on the north side of the village and includes a prominent motte, a fishpond to the north and traces of formal garden earthworks to the south. The motte measures 40m in diameter at the base, has a flat area 20m across on the top and is approximately 4.5m high from the bottom of the ditch. The ditch encircles the mound, with the exception of a 12m stretch on the south-west, and is up to 2m deep and 6m wide on the south-east side and 1m deep and 8m wide on the north side. A water-filled fishpond measuring 70m long and 12m wide, formerly connected by a channel to the motte ditch, is situated on the north side of the motte. A linear scarp, 1m high, which runs south from the motte ditch on the western side and a 15m long scarp to the south, are the remains of formal garden earthworks relating to a hall which stood to the south of the site. A ditch 3m wide and 0.3m deep, which drained the motte ditch on the western side, runs north for 38m before it is altered by later landscaping. A 35m length of bank 1.5m high, which was part of the garden earthworks, stands to the east of the motte and formerly joined the fishpond.The dam constructed of breeze blocks at the east end of the fishpond is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included. Wartime activity in 1940, during which the motte was disturbed, revealed evidence of a central post about 350cm in diameter.

On 23/08/1940 FC visited the site after the ARP had dug a 3' 6" wide trench through the mound an dug out a rectangular chamber in the centre. No finds. Mound was made up of light brown clay. There was evidence for an original central post c. 1' 2" in diameter.

<1> Page, William (ed), 1907, The Victoria County History of the County of Leicester, Volume 1, p261 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1156.

"On the north of the church at Shackerstone close to the roadside, is a bold mount with a flat top, and an escarpment of 38ft with an inclined ascent from the north around the west side. This has been surrounded by a fosse, but only a portion remains on the south side; it is 22ft wide, with a counter-scarp of 8ft. Around it has evidently been a well fortified bailey, but later works have dealt severely with it; at the present time a flat area lies to the SW of the mount and fosse; the north and east have another area at a lower level, at the south of which is the fragment of a vallum, while at the other points are the remains of ditches.
"It would thus appear that the base-court was situated on the west and continued, in a more limited degree, around the other side of the mount. These remains may have inclosed two courts, but this cannot now be decided with any certainty."

<2> Nichols J, The History and Antiquities of Leicestershire, Vol 4 pt 2 (1811), pl143, p909 (Bibliographic reference). SLE7.

Nichols gives a sketch plan and shows the hall between the church and 'mount'. This was the Hall family mansion probably the capital messuage mentioned in 1660 (the Halls bought 1/2 the manor from the Barfords who had it from the de Shepey's).

<3> Hoskins, W G, 1950, The Heritage of Leicestershire (Bibliographic reference). SLE4993.

Hoskins calls the site 'a good example of a 12th century castle'.

<4> 1977-8, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 53, Vol 53 (1978), p39 (Journal). SLE5951.

On 23/08/1940 F Cottrill visited the site after the ARP had dug a 3' 6" wide trench through the mound and dug out a rectangular chamber in the centre. No finds. Mound was made up of light brown clay. There was evidence for an original central post c. 1' 2" in diameter.

<5> 2016, National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) accessioning (Website). SLE4981.

SUMMARY: "Medieval motte with a fishpond and later formal garden surviving as earthworks. The motte measures 40 metres in diameter at the base and has a flat area 20 metres across on the top and is approximately 4.5 metres high from the bottom of the ditch. The ditch encircles the mound with the exception of a 12 metre stretch on the south west and is up to 2 metres deep and 6 metres wide on the south east side and 1 metre deep and 8 metres wide on the north side. A water filled fishpond 70 metres long and 12 metres wide is also present along with formal garden earthworks relating to a hall which stood on the site. Scheduled."
URL: 'https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/NRHE/RecordDetail.aspx?pageid=8&he_uid=312807', accessioned 20/07/2016.

<6> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey card index series (Card Index). SLE8.

"Remains of a fosse observed on the south side of the mount." (MP Dare OS Record 6" map, undated.)

<7> Vertical aerial photograph reference number, 541/212 8 12 48 4085-6 (Aerial Photograph). SLE7253.

Mound visible.

<8> Field Investigators Comments, B H Seaman/29-JUN-1972 (Website). SLE3488.

The earthworks comprise a ditched motte with causeway on the west and a terraced path on its southern flank, all set within what now appears to be the remains of a rectangular enclosure. (Doubtless an original sub rectangular bailey with a centralised motte). There has been extensive earth removal at various times and other mutilations and the whole is under rough pasture and much neglected. See 25" survey.

<9> RCHME/EH/HE Aerial Photographers comment, David Macleod/01-JUL-1993/RCHME: National Forest Project (Website). SLE4994.

Castle of Medieval date, consisting of:
Possible earthwork bailey of Medieval date, seen as an incomplete asymmetric polygonal enclosure, defined by 1 ditch, (3 sides visible), 130m by ??m. Internal and/or attached features are present.
Centred at:-SK 3746 0687
Mapped using good quality AP's.
(Morph No. FR.169.1.1)
Probable earthwork motte of Medieval date, seen as an incomplete subcircular enclosure, defined by 1 ditch, diameter 35m. Internal and/or attached features are present. Centred at:-SK 3748 0685
Mapped using good quality AP's.
(Morph No. FR.169.1.2)

<10> Cathcart King, DJ, 1982, Castellarium Anglicanum: an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Vol I: Anglesey to Montgomery, p255 (Bibliographic reference). SLE4995.

Listed by Cathcart King.

<11> 1997, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 71, Vol 71 (1997), p21-36 (Journal). SLE5945.

Analysis of the motte in relation to its Mediaeval landscpe, the church, manor etc. Creighton considers it to be a prospect mound rather than a motte when considring the landscape context.

<12> Hartley R F, 2008, Medieval Earthworks of South-West Leicestershire (Hinckley & Bosworth), p48 & p50 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1014.

"125m north-east of St Peter's Church is a mound (sometimes referred to as 'The Mount') which has been interpreted as the site of a castle (1). Old maps of the village reveal that a mansion house stood between the church and the mound in the 18th century (2). It seems likely that the mound was then part of a scheme of landscaped gardens around this house. It might have had a summer house on top, offering views over the gardens and the surrounding pastures. A trench dug in 1940 located remains of a possible central post, about 14" in diameter, and a rectangular chamber (note by Frank Cottrill in Leicestershire County Council SMR)."

<13> Elkin, Kathleen (ed), 2015, Medieval Leicestershire: Recent Research on the Medieval Archaeology of Leicestershire, p140, "Medieval fortified sites of Leics & Rutland", Richard Knox (Bibliographic reference). SLE5149.

"A large, flat topped mound c.40m in diameter, with rectilinear ditches running at right angles to the north and east lies north of the church. Page (1907, 261) records a surrounding ditch 22 feet wide and describes a much destroyed but well fortified bailey. Hoskins (1946, 9) describes it as a good example of a 12th century castle. In 1940 Frank Cotterill visited the site after a 3 1/2 foot trench and square chamber were dug through the mound for an anti-aircraft position. No finds were made but the remains of a central wooden post 1 foot 2 inches in diameter were recorded. Cantor (1978, 39) knew of no records for a castle here and Creighton (1997, 27) although originally identifying the earthwork as a post-medieval prospect mound changed his attribution to a castle on the basis of cartographic evidence from Peter Foss, including a map of 1785 associated with the construction of the Ashby Canal making this site more likely to be a motte and bailey castle (Creighton 1998, 154)."

Sources

Associated Finds

None recorded

Designations

• Conservation Area: Shackerstone
• Scheduled Monument 1008542: MOTTE AND ASSOCIATED EARTHWORKS AT SHACKERSTONE

Associated Images

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