| Suffolk HER Number (Pref. Ref.): | BMF 001 |
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| Unique number (MonUID): | MSF1946 |
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| Type of Record: | Monument |
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| Parish: | BRAMFIELD, SUFFOLK COASTAL, SUFFOLK |
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| NGR: | TM 4031 7348 |
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Summary
Scheduled Monument - 'Castle Yard' earthworks, Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Monument Types
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CASTLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CIRCULAR ENCLOSURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- RING DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- RINGWORK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- MOAT (12th century to 13th century - 1101 AD to 1200 AD)
Associated Finds: None recorded
Protected Status
- Scheduled Ancient Monument 30525: RINGWORK KNOWN AS CASTLE YARD
Description
SE of present village 'Castle Yard', close to Castle Farm ... is a circular fosse 270 feet in diameter, now containing water, with the entrance to the interior on the W (S1).
'Castle Yard' is a roughly circular platform about 70 yards in diameter, surrounded by a 5 feet wide ditch and raised 1 to 2 feet above the surrounding ground. Nothing is known of its history. No apparent original entrance. Running NW from it ... is an impressive bank and ditch about 150 yards long with a slight bend northwards. The bank is about 3 feet high and the ditch 1 foot deep. Total width 12 yards. The site is on the SW side. This looks like a manorial bank, or possibly the only surviving part of the castle bailey. Its NW end dies out at the edge of the quarry. There is no sign of any other bank in the fields surrounding "Castle Yard". All in good condition under unploughed pasture, June 1975 (S2).
24th April, 1981: Monument in good condition under pasture. Bank has been cut through in four places down its length by tractors (S2). APs by CUCAP and SAU (S3) and (S4).
1990: Circular earthwork with a flat internal platform, possibly slightly raised above the level of ground outside. No sign of any banks. Present entrance is through a narrow causeway on the SW side. Interior grassed with trees around the margin. Ditch dry when visited (September 1990), though wet ponds nearby. A few plain medieval body sherds, unglazed, in the interior. The undefended nature of the site means that it cannot be a castle, it is more like an early moat, though the regularity of the shape is unusual. Site is perhaps to be associated with the de Bramfield family, who held the manor of Bramfield, as tenants of the Honour of Richmond, in the C12.
The bank outside the enclosure may define a way that leads towards the present village and church, situated to the NW (S5).
Further ring ditch, circa 30m diameter, slight earthwork? Visible on APs (S4) partially within scheduled area. N of bank and NW of circular ditch. Mapped limits of site extended to include this smaller ring and probable extension of bank in November 1992.
January 1998: Scheduled area revised to exclude area NW of ringwork and NE of linear bank (including ring ditch?) - details in (S2).
Sources
| [M1] | (No record type): SAM file:. (SSF47105) |
| [R1] | Index: OS. OS Card. OS, card TM47SW1, 1974 (ill). (SSF50032) |
| [S1] | Bibliographic reference: 1911. VCH Suffolk 1. 586. (SSF54455) |
| [M2] | Photograph: CUCAP. CUCAP aerial photograph. APs: CUCAP CQ 060, ARD 15; SAU AJK 1-6. (SSF50031) |
| [S2] | Unpublished document: DOE scheduling information. (SSF5224) |
| [S3] | Photograph: CUCAP. CUCAP aerial photograph. CUCAP, AP CQ 060, ARD15, 1949 & 1967. (SSF50031) |
| [M3] | Unpublished document: Suffolk Archaeological Service. Parish file. Parish file: annotated map 1990. (SSF50072) |
| [S4] | (No record type): SAU, APs AJK 1-6, 26 February 1979. (SSF18875) |
| [S5] | (No record type): Martin, E.A.. Martin E, 1990. (SSF10913) |
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