Monument Type(s):

• HOUSE (Medieval to 17th century - 1066 AD to 1699 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• MOTTE AND BAILEY? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

A badly damaged medieval moated site, formerly believed to be a possible motte and bailey castle.

Related records

Associated Finds

• FSA1941 - FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• FSA2076 - SHERD (13th century to 15th century - 1200 AD to 1499 AD)
• FSA2077 - FLOOR TILE (14th century to 15th century - 1300 AD to 1499 AD)

Associated Events

• ESA2918 - 1971 field observation by the Ordnance Survey
• ESA2919 - 1979 field observation by the Ordnance Survey
• ESA5784 - 1999 site visit by English Heritage MPP Fieldworker

Description

Small mound known as The Castle may be the site of the home of the Baskervillles c 1284 [<1ai>]. Building stones have been recovered from the mound and a long gutter penetrates it from the north. <1a>

A ditch is visible on Aps. <1b>

An irregularly shaped mound 56m NE/SW and 34m transversely is surrounded by a dry, sub-rectangular ditch which has an average depth of 1.2m. The mound rises up to 1.9m above the ditch. The SW side of the mound is fairly level but the NE has been partly removed. No evidence of building foundations in the interior, and the site is not remarked upon locally. <1c>

A Medieval moated site, generally as described by [<1c>], situated on the north bank of a stream, with the deserted hamlet of Pickthorn (PRN 01290) lying on slightly higher ground 200m to the north. Trenches 5m in width have been dug into the centre of the mound from the north and south, and dumping has partly filled the moat on the south side. Much of the island is obscured by long grass and undergrowth, but the surface is noticeably stony at the centre. Water was probably supplied by drainage from the north and possibly from the stream at the east angle. A roughly rectangular depression here, superficially resembling a fishpond, is probably more recent digging. Traces of a bank 0.4m in height (noted by [<2>] as a possible bailey along the south-east side suggest the retention of water along this, the lower side, with a well-marked channel leading from the south corner to the stream, probably an overflow. No proper name is now applied to the site and the name 'The Castle' is not known to the farmer. <1d>

On the UCCAP AP the site appears as a well defined irregular mound, surrounded by a wide shallow ditch which also surrounds a second raised area to the SE, and this may be a bailey. IB comment 1978 <2>

In 1968 L F Chitty summarised what had up to then been recorded about the site <3>

Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1, Low score as one of 46 Motte and Bailey castles <4>

The site was considered to be a possible motte and bailey castle and was given a low score in the MPP desk based assessment phase. However, a field inspection indicates that it is in fact a moated site, which occupies a low-lying position and is surrounded by gently undulating land which offers no strategic advantage. The moat, which is now dry, defines a sub-rectangular island apx 30m by 50m. The arms of the moat are between 14m and 17m wide. Material excavated from the moat has been used to heighten the surface of the island by about 0.4m above the level of the surrounding ground. Deeds to the Pickthorn Farm indicate that an old house stood on the moated site until 1760 when it was demolished. The whole site has been severely affected by modern agricultural practices, most notably the partial excavation of the island during drainage works. A range of artefacts has been found during the most recent work, principally late medieval and post medieval pottery. A fragment of medieval glazed floor tile was also found. Half the site lies in a field of long established pasture. The other half lies within an arable field and part of the island has been planted with trees <5>

Partially visible on LiDAR imagery. <6>

An important ceramic assemblage recovered by the landowner from the moat area of Pickthorn Castle (actually a moated house) was recorded under the Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2007/2008. The earliest pieces were domestic medieval pottery; three sherds of 13th-14th-century date and one 14th-15th century. There was also part of a glazed floor tile, also dating from the 14th-15th century, suggesting that at least one room in the house had been expensively decorated. The post-medieval pottery included slipware, Midlands purpleware, Staffordshire blackware, and yellow glazed pottery, all of 17th-18th-century dates. A number of clay pipes, also of this date, were recorded. The building is said to have been pulled down about 1760 and the archaeological material is entirely consistent with this date. ->

-> It is also consistent with the house being built by members of the Baskerville family, who held the manor of Pickthorn in the 13th and 14th centuries. The postmedieval material is largely unabraded and it is possible that stratified deposits survive. The site has potential to produce a substantial, closely dateable pottery assemblage, specifically of the postmedieval period. As such the site is important in developing understanding of the (little researched) later ceramic history of southeast Shropshire. <7>

Listed by Cathcart King. <8>

Earthworks are visible on LiDAR. <9>

Sources

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