| Summary : Iron Age univallate promontory fort surviving as an earthwork. Kelsborrow Castle an Iron Age univallate promontory fort with steep natural slopes to the South-West and South-East. An earthen rampart with an outer ditch encloses the North side. Both have been much reduced and spread by the plough. Where best preserved, to the North-East, the rampart is 25.0m in width, 1.0m in height internally and drops 1.7m to the foot of the ditch, which is 15.0m in width and averages 0.3m in depth. The North-West end of the rampart has been completely ploughed out. The original entrance was probably around the south-eastern end of the rampart, directly above steep natural slopes. On the North side, there is a waterfilled pit on the line of the ditch and the rampart has been reduced opposite it almost to ground level. |
More information : SJ 531675 Castle Yard Kelsborrow Castle (NAT) Camp (NR). (1)
Kelsborrow Castle. Earthwork is nine acres in extent. The north
and east sides are defended by a rampart 14 yds wide at the
base, and a ditch 8 yds in width. There are two openings to the
north and east.
A bronze celt 6" long, now lost, was found inside in 1810. An
iron sword was also found, which has been referred to the
Mercian occupation. (See AO/62/138/1). (2)
Single ramparted Iron Age hill fort. (3)
Kelsboro' Castle - Promontory camp. No visible entrance. (4)
Survey revised. (5)
Further reference and plan. (6)
Kelsborrow Castle an Iron Age univallate promontory fort with
steep natural slopes to the SW and SE.
An earthen rampart with an outer ditch encloses the N side.
Both have been much reduced and spread by the plough. Where best
preserved, to the NE, the rampart is 25.0m in width, 1.0m in
height internally and drops 1.7m to the foot of the ditch, which
is 15.0m in width and averages 0.3m in depth.
The NW end of the rampart has been completely ploughed out.
The original entrance was probably around the south-eastern end
of the rampart, directly above steep natural slopes.
On the N side, there is a waterfilled pit on the line of the
ditch and the rampart has been reduced opposite it almost to
ground level. (The opening to the N referred to by Roeder (2)).
25" survey of 27.3.62 revised: MSD revised. (7)
Listed by Challis and Harding as a nine acre promontory fort,
damaged by ploughing. (8)
Kelsbarrow Castle is situated on a very prominent W and SW
facing.
Triassic sandstone ridge with good visibility across the
Cheshure plain. Ground falls very steeply to the west, south
and Southeast, but rises gently to the east, and falls locally
to the north. The area thus defined forms an easily defended
shelf, with main weaknesses on the east and northeast sides
(where the ramparts are greatest).
The almost semi-circular single rampart and outer ditch, now spread
to varying extends by ploughing, enclose a lop-sided 'v'-shaped
promontory, whose interior rises westwards to the natural
crest. The rampart, slightest at its W end where a small
natural valley to the N assits its defensive qualities, increases
to the E where level ground outside makes the enclosure most
vulnerable. At best it survives to a height of 1.8m with a ditch
of 0.4m, to the W, however, it is as little as 0.2m high.
No obvious entrances survive, but at its most easterly end, the
rampart terminates in a convincing "bull-nose" some 10m short
of the natural crest, and this is a possible access point,
although not conclusive. To the NW, another "bull-nose" marks
another possible entrance, but now too diminished to allow
convincing interpretation.
The interior, recently ploughed at time of visit, shows no traces
of occupation, but RAF vertical photography shows several possible
habitation sites. (9)
SJ 531 675 Kellsboro' [sic] Cas. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 2.9ha. (10)
SJ 5316 6752. Kelsborrow promontory fort on Castle Hill 300m SW of
Castle Hill Farm. Scheduled RSM No 25691. (11)
This site was the subject of archaeological investigation between 2009 and 2012, the results of which are presented in 'Hillforts of the Cheshire Ridge' Garner et al. (2016). (12)
The site was mapped from lidar imagery and historic vertical photography as part of the 'Cheshire Aerial Investigation and Mapping Project: the Chester environs' in 2019. Iron Age ramparts and an outer ditch are visible as earthworks in the south-west of the parish of Delamere. Study of historic vertical photography has also revealed a second rampart, visible as an earthwork, that branches out from the eastern side of the fort. It should be noted that the possible habitation sites alluded to by source 9 are in fact earthworks created by a tractor. Elements appear to be extant on the latest 2016 vertical photography. (13-14) |