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Castlehaw Tower

Hob Uid: 44165
Location :
Cumbria
South Lakeland
Sedbergh
Grid Ref : SD6623092290
Summary : A small well preserved motte and bailey castle. The oval motte is 30 feet high and surrounded by a ditch about 15 feet wide except on the south where there is a steep scarp. The top of the motte measures nine metres east to west by seven metres north to south. The top is dish shaped, caused by the removal of a building. The bailey, which lies to the west of the motte and slopes to the west is 30 metres east to west by 20 metres north to south. The motte was used as an air raid look out during World War II. The site was also used as a Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post during the Cold War, indexed under AMIE 1415843.
More information : [SD 66239229.] Motte & Bailey [G.T.]
Castlehaw Tower [T.I.] (1)

Castlehaugh Tower is an oval motte, 30ft. high, surrounded by a ditch about 15ft wide except on the south where there is a steep scarp. The bailey, measuring about 1/4 acre, now forms a terrace. (2)

Published survey (25") revised. 'Castlehaw Tower' (a) is a well preserved motte and bailey, correctly described above. (3)

Medieval motte and bailey mapped from poor quality air photographs. The following features were identified:-

Probable Medieval motte, seen as an earthwork. Morphological description: one large (15-50m), round feature.
Centred at:-SD 6622 9229
(Morph No. CU.16.22.1)

Probable Medieval bailey, seen as an earthwork. Morphological description: a regular, curvilinear enclosure, 35m by 30m, with 1 straight side, defined by 1 ditch and 1 bank. This feature was partially obscured by tree cover on the photography available to RCHME's Howgill Fells Project.
Centred at:-SD 6618 9228
(Morph No. CU.16.22.2)

This description has been generated from the RCHME MORPH2 database. (4)

As described by Authority 2. The motte top measures about 9m E-W by 7m N-S; the modern building shown on the Antiquity Model by Authority 3 has been removed, leaving a slightly dished top. The motte commands excellent views over the town to the Lune valley, and down Garsdale and the Rawthey valley; the bridge at Millthrop would be visible but for trees. There is some gorse and hawthorn growing on the E side of the motte and recent repairs have been made to a damaged area on the N side. On the N side the motte ditch is defined by a bank 1m high. There is a slight causeway across the E sector of the motte ditch.
The bailey, which lies to the W of the motte and slopes to the W, is approximately 30m E-W by 20m N-S; it is shaped as depicted by Authority 3 on the Antiquity Model except that there is a slight re-entrant in the W face. The "slight lowering" mentioned on the Antiquity Model, on the NW of the earthwork, is still visible but is not entirely convincing as an entrance; a lynchet approaches this point from the W but this probably only reflects the edge of ploughing visible as narrow ridge-and-furrow in the adjacent field to the N. The "modern mutilations" noted on the Antiquity Model are still apparent, consisting of a mound on the edge of the motte/ bailey ditch with a capping of concrete beams over, presumably, a substantial hole (this might be connected with the WW2 use of the motte as an air raid lookout (5a)). There is also a substantial path on the SW side of the motte, which crosses the ditch to the bailey on a stony causeway; this path is also apparent on the W nose of the bailey. The bailey has no bank and there is no sign of masonry anywhere on the site. (5)

Sources :
Source Number : 1
Source :
Source details : OS 6" map 1957.
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Page(s) : 37
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Vol(s) : 1912
Source Number : 3
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Source details : F1 RL/15-JUN-1964/OS Archaeology Division Field Investigator
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Source Number : 3a
Source :
Source details : Spelling confirmed by Sedbergh R.D.C.
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Source Number : 4
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Source details : Ann Carter/09-DEC-1992/RCHME: Howgill Fells Project
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Source Number : 5
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Source details : Mark Bowden/18-MAY-1993/RCHME: Howgill Fells Project
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Source Number : 5a
Source :
Source details : Trott, F 1991 Sedbergh TW Douglas and Son Sedbergh 16
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Monument Types:
Monument Period Name : Medieval
Display Date : Medieval
Monument End Date : 1540
Monument Start Date : 1066
Monument Type : Motte And Bailey
Evidence : Earthwork
Monument Period Name : 20th Century
Display Date : Modern
Monument End Date : 1999
Monument Start Date : 1901
Monument Type : Building
Evidence : Documentary Evidence, Demolished Building
Monument Period Name : 20th Century
Display Date : World War II
Monument End Date : 1945
Monument Start Date : 1939
Monument Type : Observation Post
Evidence : Documentary Evidence

Components and Objects:
Related Records from other datasets:
External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 365
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : MORPH2
External Cross Reference Number : CU.16.22
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : SD 69 SE 1
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :
Associated Monuments :
Relationship type : General association

Related Activities :
Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1964-06-15
End Date : 1964-06-15
Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 1992-06-01
End Date : 1994-01-01