Reasons for Designation
Motte and bailey castles are medieval fortifications introduced into Britain
by the Normans. They comprised a large conical mound of earth or rubble, the
motte, surmounted by a palisade and a stone or timber tower. In a majority of
examples an embanked enclosure containing additional buildings, the bailey,
adjoined the motte. Motte castles and motte-and-bailey castles acted as
garrison forts during offensive military operations, as strongholds, and, in
many cases, as aristocratic residences and as centres of local or royal
administration. Built in towns, villages and open countryside, motte and
bailey castles generally occupied strategic positions dominating their
immediate locality and, as a result, are the most visually impressive
monuments of the early post-Conquest period surviving in the modern landscape.
Over 600 motte castles or motte-and-bailey castles are recorded nationally,
with examples known from most regions. As one of a restricted range of
recognised early post-Conquest monuments, they are particularly important for
the study of Norman Britain and the development of the feudal system. Although
many were occupied for only a short period of time, motte castles continued to
be built and occupied from the 11th to the 13th centuries, after which they
were superseded by other types of castle.
Hinckley castle survives as a prominent earthwork and is one of three such
monuments in south west Leicestershire. Although the motte is destroyed, the
bailey has considerable potential for the survival of original internal
buildings while the motte ditch will retain evidence of well-preserved
organic remains.
Details
The castle is situated in the centre of the south west Leicestershire town of
Hinckley, the bailey surviving as a semi-circular raised piece of ground.
The northern part of the site was occupied by the motte, which has now been
destroyed and is outside the area of the scheduling. The southern half of the
bailey survives as a flat-topped raised area approximately 70m in diameter,
rising about 10m above the surrounding land. An internal bank rises 3m above
the top of the mound on the eastern side, decreasing to 2m on the south and 1m
on the west. An external ditch is up to 18m wide, and water-filled on the
eastern side.
The castle was built by Hugh de Grantmesnil, Earl of Leicester, and is known
to have been in existence by the middle of the 12th century. Historical
records indicate that the castle was in decay by 1361 and that the motte was
artificially lowered prior to 1811. During these works foundations of the
bridge across the motte ditch were uncovered on the north side. Further
building work on the north of the motte in 1976 revealed part of the ditch
which was shown to contain well-preserved organic remains. The area was
subsequently completely redeveloped and now houses a supermarket complex.
Excluded from the scheduling are a war memorial, metalled paths, modern
walls, a bridge over the ditch on the eastern side and a metalled surface
covering the western ditch. The ground beneath all these features, however,
is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
