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Monument Types

• MOTTE AND BAILEY (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)

Summary

A large castle mound c.10' high, 120' diameter, lies to the east of the church. It has an encircling ditch. There is no trace of a bailey but it may be perpetuated by the churchyard. The castle was owned by the Earls of Leicester.

Additional Information

<1> Historic England, National Heritage List for England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1010302 (Website). SLE7874.

Scheduled Monument description extract:
"Earl Shilton Castle lies on the northern edge of the village, west of the church. It comprises a motte and part of the bailey bank to the south. The circular motte is approximately 50m in diameter. It is flat-topped but has a considerable slope to the north. It is 3m high on the south side and 1.5m on the north. The remains of an encircling ditch and part of the bailey can be seen on the south side although the original dimensions have been obscured by modern development on the western side. The bailey bank to the south, rises to about 1m above the foot of the mound and is 50m long. The extent of the bailey enclosure is today probably reflected in the churchyard boundary. The castle was founded by the Earl of Leicester soon after the Norman Conquest and demolished in the late 12th century. Excluded from the scheduling is a fake stone gateway and wooden bridge erected on the south side of the motte, additionally the stone steps to the north of the monument are also excluded. However the ground beneath all these features is included."
Scheduled 03/10/1975, most recent amendment 03/06/1992

<2> Page, William (ed), 1907, The Victoria County History of the County of Leicester, Volume 1, p158 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1156.

The 'Castle Yard' contains the mount (a complex escarpment of 18ft), on which a castle of Simon de Montfort stood. The slightly hollowed top of the mount is still discernible but is now a kitchen garden. Originally much larger, the moat (nearly obliterated by buildings) is 6ft wide and 4ft deep, with an entrance at the south-east. The bailey was enlarged and adapted to a manorial residence.

<3> Foster, GH, 1940, History of Earl Shilton, Tooley Park and Potters Marston (Bibliographic reference). SLE6116.

<4> Leicestershire SMR Comment, (undated) (Unpublished document). SLE7870.

A large castle mound c.10' high by 120' in diameter lies E of Earl Shilton church. It has an encircling ditch. No trace of bailey but may well be perpetuated by churchyard (and church could be castle chapel in origin). Hinckley UDC has built a fake stone gate house on the site (a 'municipal folly'). Owned by Earls of Leicester in med. (OS Records)

<5> Leicestershire SMR Comment, (undated) (Unpublished document). SLE7870.

Surveyed by RFH 21/02/82.

<6> Leicestershire SMR Comment, PL 22/07/87 (Unpublished document). SLE7870.

The site was visited by PL & RFH in 1987 and a sherd of C12th/C13th pottery was recovered from the slope of the mound.

<7> Hartley R F, 2008, Medieval Earthworks of South-West Leicestershire (Hinckley & Bosworth), p16 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1014.

The castle mound, surrounded by a ditch, lies just west of the parish church, in a field once known as 'Castle Yard'. The castle was probably built by the Earls of Leicester in the 12th century and served to guard the western approach to their hunting chase of Leicester Forest. It may have had only a relatively short period of use. In the 1950s it was adapted as a public park, and a miniature gateway was built with a 'drawbridge' across the moat. There are flower beds on the slope of the mound and a lawn on top. The site was surveyed on February 21st 1982. The church may lie in the castle bailey and may have originally been the castle chapel. Creighton (TLAHS, Vol 71, p31) says that "the castle may have embraced the extant parish church within its defences, as such making a statement of conquest to the existing community".

<8> Farnworth-Jones, Greg, 2008, An archaeological watching brief at the castle mound, Earl Shilton Castle, Earl Shilton (Unpublished document). SLE1003.

The archaeological watching brief investigation was undertaken in 2007 during the groundworks for the construction of a new footpath and entrance. Due to the limited depth of excavation, only limited archaeological results were achieved and the excavator's conclusions speculative. However, the possible cut for the ditch was observed, suggesting that during the medieval period the moat may have originally been much wider than it is presently.
Report is in ADS Library: doi:10.5284/1012632 - http://dx.doi.org/10.5284/1012632

<9> Elkin, Kathleen (ed), 2015, Medieval Leicestershire: Recent Research on the Medieval Archaeology of Leicestershire, p132, "Medieval fortified sites of Leics & Rutland", Richard Knox (Bibliographic reference). SLE5149.

"A large motte c.120 feet in diameter and around 10 feet high, surrounded by a wide ditch, lies just east of the 12th century church. There is no sign of a bailey bank or ditch, but the churchyard may delineate its bounds. It is believe to have been built by Robert le Bossu, Earl of Leicester, and passed to his successors. The stone folly gatehouse was built in the mid 20th century."

<10> 2016, National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) accessioning (Website). SLE4981.

SUMMARY: "Medieval motte and bailey castle surviving as a mutilated earthwork. Castle founded in the mid 11th century and demolished in the late 12th century. The circular motte is 50 metres in diameter and 3 metres high on the south side, and 1.5 metres high on the north side and is flat topped. The remains of the ditch and part of the bailey can be seen on the south side, but are much mutilated. Scheduled."
URL: 'https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/NRHE/RecordDetail.aspx?pageid=45&he_uid=337907', accessioned 17/02/2025.

<11> Ordnance Survey 1:2500 (25") historic maps, 1916 (Map). SLE7284.

(Centred at SP 47049820) Castle (GT) (site of)

<12> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Field Investigators Comments, M P Dare/Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division (Website). SLE3488.

The field in which this mount stands bears the official name of Castle Yard.

<13> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Field Investigators Comments, D Smith/05-APR-1960/Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division (Website). SLE3488.

See 1:2500 survey.

<14> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Field Investigators Comments, F D Colquhoun/04-JUL-1972 (Website). SLE3488.

The castle mound now situated in, and forming part of, a public path. Gardening/landscaping has grossly mutilated the original profile and pseudo drum towers and a footbridge have been constructed over a newly dug ditch in the southern face. The original ditch can be partially traced and attains a max depth of 1.2m; the mound has a height of 3.3m above the original ditch. There is no surface indication of a bailey although the park to south-west and the churchyard to the east are both significant. Published survey (25" 1962) correct.

<15> Scheduled Monument List/Amendment, English Heritage SAM Amendment 03-JUN-1992 (Scheduling record). SLE7368.

SP 4704 9819. Earl Shilton, motte and bailey. The circular motte is 50m in diameter. It is 3.0m high on the south side, 1.5m high on the north side, and flat-topped. The remains of the ditch and part of the bailey can be seen on the south side, but are much mutilated. The bailey bank to the south is 50m long and up to 1.0m high. The castle was founded by the Earl of Leicester soon after the Conquest, and demolished in the late C12.
Scheduled (RSM) No. 17035.

<16> Cathcart King, DJ, 1982, Castellarium Anglicanum: an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Vol I: Anglesey to Montgomery, p253 (Bibliographic reference). SLE4995.

Listed by Cathcart King.

Sources

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Early Medieval to Late Medieval - 1201 AD to 1400 AD)

Designations

• Scheduled Monument 1010302: EARL SHILTON MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLE

Associated Images

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