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Summary

TOOTHILL (MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLE)

Full description

PRN 43554
A MOUND ABOUT 8M HIGH WITH BANK AND DITCH ON THE SW SIDE AND, TO THE NE, A LARGE KIDNEY-SHAPED EARTHWORK WITH A BANK 2M HIGH. LATER DESCRIBED AS 'A STRONG MOTTE, WITH DOUBLE-DITCHED OUTER BAILEY FORMING AN ORIGINAL FUNNEL ENTRANCE'. {1} THE KIDNEY- SHAPED EARTHWORK IS PROBABLY DUE TO LATER SURFACE QUARRYING., AREA 1.8H, LENGTH 150M, WIDTH 120M, HEIGHT 8M, HTM 8M
The earthwork and buried remains of the motte and bailey castle known as Toot Hill, enclosed by ditches and banks on low-lying ground adjacent to the Great Eau. The land at Tothill was part of the land of Greetham, belonging to the Norman earls of Chester. Dating to the 11th or 12th century, the site is either a fortification dating to the immediate post-conquest period or to the civil war during the reign of King Stephen. In the post-medieval period, a house, Tothill Manor, was built within the bailey. This is a Grade II Listed building and is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included. All standing buildings, fences, boundary walls, animal pens and telegraph poles are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.. A 2m boundary around the monument is included, considered essential for the monument's support and protection.{3}

<1> OS CARD INDEX, TF 48 SW:3,1963, FH (Index). SLI2801.

<2> HBMC, AM 7, SAM 59 (Scheduling Record). SLI4230.

<3> English Heritage, Mar 2001, Toot Hill motte and bailey castle, SAM 31628 (Scheduling Record). SLI6452.

Monument Types

• CASTLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOTTE AND BAILEY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

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