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Monument Types

• FORTIFIED MANOR HOUSE? (Med- P Med, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1779 AD)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 5: Castle Hill fortified manor

Full description

This is presumably the site mentioned by Bonser; he says it is the castle of Robert de Stuteville, and all that remains of it "are some mounds in the fields at the W end of the church." On the OS 6in map it is placed S of the church and named "Castle Hill". Bonser also refers to this site as a manor. In 1340 R de Stoteville lost it, Edward III granted it to John Darcy. Probably he built a house on the site of the castle of the Stotevillles which was declared in 1310 "not valued because it greatly needs repair." 1466, manor passed to Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Phillip Darcy. She married Sir John Conyers, manor passed to that family. 1345, John Darcy obtained licence to mark and enclose a park at Kirkby. (1)
As on 6in sheet and sketch on (2).
Add shallow vallum halfway between pear shaped earthwork and main earthwork running NS. Banks contain foundations of massive stone walls. This may be a Med moated site with stone curtain wall, or even merely a rectangular building. The alledged ditch is very vague. The earthworks to the E are almost certainly connected with dam, lakes etc (see 05188). (3)
Extant earthworks at Castle Hill consist of an engineered terraced feature ... extensive ploughing has destroyed all the earthworks shown by (2) with the exception of a scarped perimeter bank which now attains a max height of 2.3m. The adjacent flat topped mound has a max height of 2.6m; here again the feature is surrounded by plough. There is much scattered building material evident and slate, tile, brick, stone are all to be seen, together with mortar. Perimeter wall foundations, now level with the plough, can be traced in places. The work is situated some 180.0m above sea level in a commanding position with excellent all round visibility. There seems to be little doubt that this marks the site of Kirkby Castle (possibly a small motte with curtain and attached court) although the fragmentary earthwork remains render precise classification doubtful. (4)
Promontory of rolling land. Oval motte 2m high with a rectangular bailey. N end (?) truncated and lost under St Wilfid's church yard (c 1907) which was rebuilt on the site of an earlier church. (5)
Lynchet bank up to 3m high outlining the E and S sides of a terraced field area. Roughly circular mound, 15-20m diameter, 1m high… The mound is suffering plough damage around the edges. (6)
Although it has been suggested that Castle Hill is the site of a motte and bailey , the form of the earthworks appear to suggest otherwise. It is more likely to be the site of a defended manor and it has been classified accordingly. (7)
See M2416 for church, M5187 for adjacent earthwork, M5188 for fishponds.

Data Held: Ground Photograph (Ground photograph). SNT2646.

5 BW print; 3 colour print, negs B18/7, B19/1, SMR

<1> Thoroton Society, 1939, TTS, pp 72-3 (Published document). SNT356.

<2> VCH, 1906, Notts, p 303 (Published document). SNT1383.

<3> TWJ, 1954, AM7 (Unpublished document). SNT1377.

<4> Colquhoun FD, 1975, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT583.

<5> Hart CR, 1984, AM107 (Unpublished document). SNT754.

<6> TPAT, 1996, Village Earthwork Survey III (Published document). SNT1361.

<7> Newsome SE, 1999, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT1450.

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