| Summary : Motte and bailey castle founded in 1072, and abandoned in about 1200 when Robert de Turnham built Old Mulgrave Castle, its stone successor, 700 metres to the east. The motte has a diameter of 50 metres and is surrounded by an 8 metre wide, 2 metres deep ditch. The mound is 4 metres high, the flat top being 40 metres in diameter, partially surrounded by a 0.5 metre high rampart bank. To the northeast of the motte, running at a tangent to it, is a ditch. This is 5 metres wide and 1.5m deep at its northwest end but becomes 10 metres wide and 3 metres deep at its southeast end. The motte is flanked by two enclosures, or baileys. The one to the north is triangular, measuring 60 metres by 30 metres, bounded by the ditch on its northeast side. The southern bailey is larger, measuring 65 metres long by 40 metres wide. Scheduled. |
More information : (NZ 83171175) Motte (NR). (1)
A circular motte near Foss Mill measuring 13ft high is surrounded by a ditch except for a small distance on the south side. I'Anson quoting Young (2a) stated that the motte, which was then 30-40ft high, was once crowned with a "low parapet of earth", and the summit "was dug into some years ago to examine the materials". A small accompanying bailey, protected on the south and southwest sides by steep slopes, is also mentioned by I'Anson. "It probably measured some 180 or 190 feet each way and approximates to a horse-shoe in shape....On the west the bailey was defended by a deep broad ditch (not shown on OS 25" plans), now much silted up in places, with scarp and counterscarp banks, thich ditch(sic), on the north west, joins the main ditch running round the motte". The motte and bailey castle is said to have been founded circa 1071-3 by Nigel Fossard according to I'Anson.
(See NZ 81 SW 4 for the later Mulgrave Castle). (2)
The 'Castrum de Mulgreit' of 1133 (3a) may be the motte at NZ 832117. (3)
A tree-planted motte, 3.1m high, with the remains of a ditch on its west, north and southeast sides. The ditch is best preserved on the north where it attains a depth of 1.7m. No apparent trace of a bailey was found.
Published Survey (25") revised. (4)
NZ 831117. Mulgrave Castle mound. Scheduled, N Yorks 1140. (5)
NZ 8319 1173. Foss Castle: a motte and bailey, precursor to Old Mulgrave Castle. Scheduled RSM No 20536. The motte has a diameter of 50m at its base and is surrounded by an 8m wide, 2m deep ditch. The mound is 4m high, the flat top being 40m in diameter and partially surrounded by a 0.5m high rampart bank. To the NE of the motte and running at a tangent to it is a ditch which links the gully of the small stream to the W with the edge of the precipice to the S; the ditch is 5m wide and 1.5m deep at its NW end but becomes 10m wide and 3m deep at its SE end. The motte is flanked by two enclosures, or baileys. Of these, the N one is triangular, measuring 60m by 30m across, bounded by the ditch on ts NE side and by a steep, 5m high scarp of the E bank of the stream to the W. The S bailey is larger, measuring 65m long by 40m wide, bounded by the ditch to the NE and by the precipice to the S and W. The castle was founded in 1072 by Nigel Fossard and abandoned about 1200 when Robert de Turnham built Old Mulgrave Castle, its stone successor, 700m to the east. (6)
Additional reference. (7) |