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Monument Types

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

Summary

The mound here, though it was used as a windmill mound, may have originally been a castle motte. Parts of a bank and ditch system have been mapped, with a bank to the west of the mound. It may have been a small castle guarding Melton's southern entrance.

Additional Information

Scheduled Monument description:
This medieval motte castle, known as "The Mount" at Mount Pleasant, is located 50m south of the main Leicester Road, at Melton Mowbray. It is separated from the medieval town of Melton Mowbray by the river Eye. The mount is a circular earthwork, approximately 30m in diameter and 3m high, with a flat top 12m in diameter. There is no evidence of a surrounding ditch, although it is considered likely that one would have existed. A documentary reference to a motte at Melton, dated 1364, says it was granted to the Hospital of St. Lazarus at Burton Lazars and refers to cutting down trees on the mound. A reference in 1827 to a mill at Mount Pleasant suggests a later use of the site.

The mound was cleared of trees in 1977 and had not been badly damaged.

A windmill is shown here on several maps (see MLE3959). In view of the documentary evidence this is probably best seen as a large mill mound, but it may just possibly have started life as a motte.

The OS 1:2500 1965 re-survey map shows a small bank to the west of the mound.

In view of the documentary evidence this is probably best seen as a large mill mound but it may just possibly have started life as a motte. (PL 08/07/88)

<1> Page, William (ed), 1907, The Victoria County History of the County of Leicester, Volume 1, p275 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1156.

VCHL describes this as a tree-planted tumulus.

<2> Hartley R F, 1987, The Medieval Earthworks of North-East Leicestershire (Bibliographic reference). SLE496.

"'The Mount', also known as Mount Pleasant. This appears to have been a mill mound, as there is reference in 1827 to a Mill at Mount Pleasant, to be sold for removal. (Wailes and Baker 1960-1, 127). Whether the mound had an earlier origin and purpose is not known. The mound is 30m in diameter and about 3m high, with a flat top."

<3> Allsop, J, 1988, Earthwork survey of the mound at Melton Mowbray (Unpublished document). SLE4696.

The 1965 bank was confirmed by a 1988 survey by the Burton Lazars Research Group - they say the bank is preserved under the metal fence bounding the school. They also noted various other earthworks in the wider area around The Mount.
Their research notes two references to a motte at Melton, one giving a motte at Melton to the Hospital at Burton Lazars, and one from 1364 mentioning a mound with trees (a 'mota'). The motte may be this mound.

<4> Finn, N, 2001, Trial trenching and earthworks survey of land between Leicester Road and Dalby Road, Melton Mowbray (Unpublished document). SLE12.

Trial trenching on the former Police Station site around The Mount (2001) found no evidence of castle-related structures such as ditches.

<5> Hunt, Leon, 2012, An archaeological desk-based assessment for The Mount Day Centre, Melton Mowbray (Unpublished document). SLE4040.

When visited in 2012 the mound was fenced off and covered in trees.

<6> 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 small circular mound with no associated earthworks lies off Leicester Road, south-west of the town centre. A windmill is recorded as being sold in the area (Hartley 1987, 11) therefore the earthwork is most likely to be a mill mound.
"A castle, alleged to have been founded by Roger, Lord Mowbray, remains unlocated, although reputedly stone foundations were still visible in the King Street area during the mid 19th century (Hunt 1957)."

Sources

Associated Finds

None recorded

Designations

• Scheduled Monument 1010666: THE MOUNT MOTTE AT MELTON MOWBRAY

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