Monument Type(s):

• MOTTE AND BAILEY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• RINGWORK? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

The remains of a small medieval motte and bailey (earthwork castle), the construction of which appears never to have been completed.

Related records: None recorded

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA4444 - 1973 field observation by the Ordnance Survey
• ESA4445 - 1976 field observation by Shropshire County Council
• ESA5786 - 1999 Site visit by English Heritage MPP Fieldworker to Middlehope Castle, Shropshire

Description

Motte within circular bailey, damaged by ploughing and cut by road. Motte 13m in diameter and 1m high inside 50m bailey. Bailey ditch best preserved on South-10m wide and 1.3m deep, turned outwards for ?original entrance on E side. Inner bank on NW side 3m wide, 0.5m high and outer bank on SW 6m wide and 1.3m high. 13m diameter circular mound 0.7m high to t North- a building?. OS FI 1973 <1>

Site in permanent pasture. The motte is extremely small and low and appears almost useless if it is in its original state. The bailey bank on the NE does not appear to be complete or to line up with the bailey ditch on the S and SE. This is interpreted by the OS [<1>] as an entrance, but an alternative interpretation would be that the castle was never completed. I Burrow FI 1976 <4>

Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1, Medium score as one of 46 Motte and Bailey castles. <7>

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a motte and bailey castle, occupying an elevated position in Hope Dale. A very small circular motte about 13m in diameter and standing 0.7m high is surrounded by an oval bailey 44m by 50m (maximum dimensions), which is defined by continuous sections of bank and ditch with a possible entrance causeway through the north eastern part of the circuit. In 1976 the then County Archaeological Officer, Ian Burrow, considered that the castle was unfinished [<4>] as it could not have functioned effectively in its current state. Field inspection supports this interpretation. The monument is bisected by a lane within a deep cutting. <8>

Photographed during aerial photographic survey in 2008. <9>-<12>

The site is perhaps degraded rather than unfinished. The 2010 vertical GIS aerial photographs indicate that the bailey ditch is complete, though degraded (probably due to agriculture) on the NE and N sides. The motte has almost the appearance of a ringwork though at 13m it is somewhat small (possibly the remains of a tower?). Another circular feature 10m in diameter to the NW of the bailey and a rectangular feature 16m by 7m to the W also appear on the AP. <13>

<00> Shropshire County Council SMR, Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards, SMR Card for PRN SA 00167 (Card index). SSA20722.

<01a> Victoria County History, 1908, Victoria County History 1, p394 (Volume). SSA178.

<01> Ordnance Survey, 1977, Ordnance Survey Record Card SO48NE5 (Card index). SSA861.

<02> Cambridge University Collection of Air Photos (CUCAP), 1966-Dec-20, CUCAP AQJ22 to AQJ23 (2 Photos) (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16209.

<03> Musson Chris R, 1989-Mar-17, CPAT 89/MB/0354 to 0356 (3 photos) (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16210.

<04> Burrow Ian, 1976-Aug-19, Visit Notes, 19/08/1976 (Site visit report). SSA863.

<05> Anon, Slides (Photograph). SSA862.

<06> Musson Chris R, 1989-Mar-17, CPAT 89/C/0079 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA16211.

<07> Horton Wendy B, 1990/ 1991, MPP Evaluation File (TEXT). SSA20084.

<08> Reid Malcolm L, 1999-Sep-06, MPP Non-Scheduling Alternative Action Report [06/09/1999] (Alternative Action Report). SSA21982.

<09> Shropshire Council, 2008-Jan-30, SA0802_068 to SA0802_071 (4 photos) Flight: 08_SA_02 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA26964.

<10> Shropshire Council, 2008-Jan-30, SA0802_072 (1 photo) Flight: 08_SA_02 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA26963.

<11> Shropshire Council, 2008-Jan-30, SA0802_004 (1 photo) Flight: 08_SA_02 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA25242.

<12> Shropshire Council, 2008-Jan-30, SA0802_003 (1 photo) Flight: 08_SA_02 (Oblique aerial photograph). SSA25241.

<13> Hannaford Hugh R, 2012 onwards, Comments by SMR compiler in SMR database, 18/08/2016 (SMR comment). SSA24002.

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.