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Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (EARLY NEOLITHIC to LATE IRON AGE - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• HILLFORT (IRON AGE - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• RINGWORK (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• CASTLE (13TH CENTURY AD to 14TH CENTURY AD - 1201 AD to 1303 AD)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument

Full description

At Beoley was anciently a castle of which the ruins are now scarcely to be seen. [1]

Earthwork: single enceinte enclosing over 1.5 acres. Originally oval, occupying a most commanding position on spur just below the summit of the hill on the 450 ft. contour overlooking the upper Arrow Valley. Close to Ryknield St. running north - south. South side: best preserved scarp with ditch and counterscarp bank at foot. West and east scarped with ditch. North side wide and unditched 'entrance'. Much cut into by marl pits, especially on West side. [2]

Manor owned by Pershore Abbey at Domesday. Passed to Beauchamps under Abbey. [2][3]

Plan. [4]

There is some field and documentary evidence that suggests a pre-Saxon probably prehistoric earthwork which is represented by a small enclosure at The Mount, Beoley. The irregular shape precludes Roman origin despite the proximity to Ryknield Street. The Great Charter of Edgar confirming lands of the monastery of SS. Peter and Paul at Pershore in 972 mentions the 'Burhleahe' or camp clearing as a landmark at this time. However, the site's position below the summit and the irregular shape could also point to cattle enclosures in line with other similar sites. Unoccupied in the Saxon period, it was probably a minor strongpoint in the 13th century. It was subsequently developed as a manor house /hunting lodge of the Beauchamps in the early medieval period, but apparently burnt down in 1303. Later a court and grange belonging to the family may have been sited here. Possible reuse of the enclosure in the 13th century disturbances, notably the Barons War, though no indication of a major defensive site at this time. At a later date, possibly in the 14th century the site was deserted. Later still the site interior was taken over for agricultural use, though ridge and furrow evidence suggests that this was not medieval. Finally used periodically as a marl pit. [5]

Fragments of black pottery found in side of ditch. Possible portions of cinerary urn, unglazed. [6]

Other sources [7][10]

Aerial photograph [8]

Nash mentions that the Beachamps had a seat in Beoley which burnt down in 1303 [1] and Habingdon mentions a castle in Beoley 'now in ruins' [3]. These two statements are generally taken to refer to The Mount. However, they could equally refer to WSM38684. WSM38684 lies c1km to the east and is a large moated platform c.120m x 120m It lies at the top of a promontary and commands good views in all directions. The mount lies half way up a promontary and whilst it commands good views to the south, east and west, it is over-shadowed by the brow of the hill to the north. The Mount is clearly a substantial moated site and must have been important at one time, but may not date to the Iron Age as the Scheduling indicates. [9]

Scheduling document from English Heritage re The Mount at Beoley. [14]

Sites and Monument Record card written by Hilary White 1988 additional information to original card. [15]

The Historic England Scheduling for this record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 20 May 2015.This monument includes a motte castle with a ditch and causeway known as The Mount situated on the south side of Church Hill overlooking the Arrow Valley. The monument survives as a motte mound with a surrounding quarry ditch and a causeway to the north. The motte covers a rectangular area approximately 76m by 106m with a flat platform on the top. The quarry ditch is rectangular in plan and surrounds the motte. It is up to 6m deep with a narrow entrance in the south west corner. The causeway is situated on the northern side of the monument.The motte castle, owned by a local family called the Beauchamp’s was in use during the 13th century and abandoned during the 14th century. Despite large scale clay extraction from the ditch, the motte castle known as The Mount survives comparatively well. [16]

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 9th April 2019 licensed under the Open Government Licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ [17]

Visited 18.5.56. A flat-topped mound surrounded by a huge ditch, c 20' deep with an original causeway on the N side. The ditch has been mutilated by large-scale clay digging, especially on the W and S, and the top has been ploughed, the plough lines (narrow rig) running over the causeway into the interior. In its original form it was probably a normal motte.There are no evident signs of a bailey. The ground falls steeply away with a suggestion of a ditch to the W, but this may be no more than lyncheting along the field boundary and hollowing by the track beside it, and the relationship of this line to the main work is obscured by clay digging. There is also a slight bank with a ditch along its E side, but this avoids the main ditch and is probably an old field boundary.[Field Investigators Comments: F1 ALFR 24-MAY-56][17]

Condition unchanged since 1956. The enclosed area bears no trace of buildings. Published survey (25") revised.[Field Investigators Comments: F2 DRB 15-JAN-70][17]

No change since reports of 24 5 56 and 15 1 70.Revised survey of 15 1 70 correct. Transferred to MSD. [Field Investigators Comments:F2 DJC 08-SEP-76][17]

Whitehead identifies the Mount with the 'Burhleahe' or 'Camp clearing' mentioned in a charter of 972; he argues that it was a pre-Saxon, probably prehistoric, earthwork situated on a gravel cap; unoccupied during the Saxon period it may have been re-utilised as a minor strong point during the 13th century and subsequently developed as the manor house/hunting lodge of the Beauchamps during the early medieval period and abandoned possibly in the 14th century. [13-16 The Archaeology of Redditch New Town: Progress Report No 2 1970 (D Whitehead)][17]

Sources and further reading

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