Reasons for Designation
Fortified manors are the residences of the lesser nobility and the richer
burgesses and date from the late twelfth century and throughout the rest of
the Middle Ages. Generally they comprise a hall and residential wing,
domestic ranges, and fortifications such as a moat or,crenellated wall or
both.
Although the fortified manor at Castle Hill has been robbed of its stone and
partially disturbed by ploughing, the remains are nevertheless reasonably well
preserved. In addition to the tower and perimeter wall, the buried remains of
fourteenth and fifteenth century domestic and ancillary buildings will be
retained on the platform.
Details
The monument includes the remains of a fourteenth century fortified manor
house which records suggest was built either by Robert de Stuteville or John
Darcy. It includes a levelled rectangular platform situated south of the
parish church of St Wilfred and measures 60m from north to south by 50m east
to west.
The platform is steeply scarped on the east side where it drops from c.7m high
at the north end to c.4m high at the south end. Here the scarp turns in a
right-angle westward and extends along the south side of the platform for
c.10m before levelling out. At the south-west corner there is a sub-circular
mound with a diameter of 16m from north to south by 13m from east to west. It
is flat-topped and stands 2.5m high and represents the remains of a tower
built into the perimeter wall of the manor. The base of this wall can be seen
extending northwards from the mound as a low bank along the west side of the
platform. It would also have extended along the north side, where it has been
replaced by the existing wall of the churchyard, and along the east side where
it surmounted the edge of the scarp. It is not yet clear whether it extended
beyond the end of the scarp on the south side since this area has been
disturbed by ploughing. Another possibility is that the gate into the
fortified manor stood next to the tower on this side. The entire wall would
have been crenellated which is the reason why the monument is inaccurately
termed a castle. It is not yet known when the site was abandoned but it was
still in use in 1466 when it passed by marriage from the Darcy family to the
Conyers.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13397
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
