Medieval town defences, 183m south east of church of St Mary and St Lawrence, and 335m north east of Bolsover Castle

Reasons for Designation

Between the Roman and medieval periods a large number of English towns were provided with defences. These defences served to mark the limits of the town or its intended size and could be used to defend the town in time of trouble. Their symbolic role in marking out the settlement was also significant. The defences to the town would have played an important role and often comprise ditches and walls with a series of gateways. Given the role played by the town defences in one of England's major commercial towns and their contribution towards and understanding of medieval and later urban development, the town defences at Bolsover are considered to be of national importance. The medieval town defences of Bolsover are well preserved and retain significant archaeological deposits. Such deposits provide important information relating to the construction and use of the town defences and will add considerably to our knowledge and understanding of the social and economic structure of the medieval community. It will also provide information on the continuity and change in the use of the monument from the medieval period to the present day.

Details

This monument, which falls into two areas, includes the earthwork and buried remains of the medieval town defences of Bolsover situated on the north and east of the historic town. The earthworks represent the bank and ditch of the rampart which is approximately 8m in width at the base and varying between 3m and 2m in height. The 'V' shaped ditch is visible as an earthwork and varies between 6m and 7m in width and 2m to 3m in depth. Documentary sources show that the historic town of Bolsover was in existence by 1086. It was a planned, fortified town and followed the establishment of the castle in the 11th century. A market charter of 1225 to 1226 confirmed the grid of streets, lanes and tenement boundaries. The town extended to the north from the original core. The modern metalled roads, tracks and paths that cross the monument are excluded from the scheduling, however, the ground beneath them are included.

SOURCES PastScape Monument No:- 924987 (Bolsover), 316234 (earthworks) NMR:- SK47SE87 (Bolsover), SK47SE17 (earthworks)

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

DR 95

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.