Scheduled Monument: One of a group of Norman earthwork castles controlling crossing points in the Teme valley, Castle Tump survives well and is likely to contain well-preserved, waterlogged archaeological remains.
This site was formerly in Worcestershire. A somewhat eroded mound about 10ft (high?) and c5yds in diameter. No clearly visible ditch, although traces of what might have been on can be seen. Probably an early Norman Castle mound, without bailey or other associated earthworks, connected with the defences of the river crossing. Top damaged by four or five large trees <1a>
A small motte, 3.2m high. <8a>
Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1, Low score as one of 43 Motte castles <11>
Scheduling revised in 1994. Scheduling description: ->
->The monument includes a small motte castle and an earthen causeway standing on the flood plain of the River Teme. The motte is visible as a well defined earthen mound 25m in diameter at base rising 3.6m high to a level summit 4m in diameter. There is no ditch surrounding the mound, rather it stands on a slight island raised 0.8m above the surrounding level of the flood plain. This raised platform is linked to the northern edge of the flood plain by the remains of an earthen causeway which runs from the north east edge of the platform as a low spread bank 8m wide and 0.4m high, orientated north east to south west.<12>
Photographed during aerial survey in 2009. <13>
An early castle. <14>
The motte was probably only extant in the 12th century. Its top is about 12 feet above the flood plain and the top is 12 feet across. The base appears to have been washed away on the south side. It was probably defended by wet defences, and there are cropmark traces of a bailey to its north. <15>
| [00] | SSA20722 - Card index: Shropshire County Council SMR. Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards. SMR record cards. SMR Card for PRN SA 01152. |
| [01a] | SSA10826 - TEXT: Anon. Text. |
| [01] | SSA4568 - Field Monument Warden Report: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission (HBMC). 1987-May-11. Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 32457 (11/05/1987). |
| [02] | SSA17121 - Oblique aerial photograph: Musson Chris R. 1990-Apr-04. CPAT 90/MB/0615 and 0618 (2 photos). Black and White. Medium. |
| [03] | SSA4564 - Plan: Anon. Plan and Location Plan. Photocopy. |
| [05] | SSA17122 - Oblique aerial photograph: Musson Chris R. 1992-Jun-26. CPAT 92/C/0997 to 0999 (3 photos). Colour. 35mm. |
| [06] | SSA4566 - Scheduled Monument notification: Ministry of Works. 1956. Map of Scheduled area, 1956. |
| [07] | SSA4565 - Scheduled Monument notification: English Heritage. 1990. Map of Scheduled area, 1990. |
| [08a] | SSA31554 - Site visit report: Ordnance Survey Field Investigator. Various. NRHE: Ordnance Survey Field Investigators Comments. F1 RWE 06-Feb-1967. |
| [08] | SSA4563 - Card index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Record Card . Ordnance Survey record cards. SO56NE2. |
| [09] | SSA4561 - Correspondence: English Heritage. 1990. Correspondence, 1990. |
| [10] | SSA4562 - Correspondence: Thomas Harley O. 1993. Correspondence, 1993. |
| [11] | SSA20084 - TEXT: Horton Wendy B. 1990/ 1991. MPP Evaluation File. |
| [12] | SSA4567 - Scheduled Monument notification: English Heritage. 1994. Scheduling Papers (Revised Scheduling, 17/05/1994). 19142. |
| [13] | SSA26104 - Oblique aerial photograph: Shropshire Council. 2009-Mar-20. SA0906_208 to SA0906_211 (4 photos) Flight: 09_SA_06. Colour. Digital. |
| [14] | SSA1163 - Article in serial: Hogg A H A & King D J C. 1963. Early Castles in Wales and the Marches. Archaeologia Cambrensis. Vol 112. p77-124. p99. |
| [15] | SSA32828 - Publication: Remfry P M. 1999. Nine Castles of Burford Barony, 1048 to 1308 - Byton, Combe, Discoed, Homme, Presteigne, Rochford, Stanage, Stapleton and Tenbury Wells. p34. |