Ringwork and bailey castle 350m south west of Lyndale

Reasons for Designation

Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements. They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60 with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular significance to our understanding of the period.

The ringwork and bailey south west of Lyndale survives well and is a good example of its class. The ringwork appears largely undisturbed and will retain archaeological information relating to its date, construction and occupation. Environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which the monument was constructed will be preserved in the fill of the ringwork ditch. The bailey, although somewhat reduced by past ploughing, will also retain archaeological information relating to its construction and use. Such monuments, when considered either as single monuments or as part of the broader medieval landscape contribute valuable evidence relating to the settlement pattern, economy and social organisation of the countryside during the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a small ringwork and bailey castle situated on the summit of a prominent knoll. The ringwork is roughly oval in plan with overall dimensions of 44m north west to south east by 24m transversley. It has been formed by scarping the hilltop to form a flat topped platform up to 1.6m above the surrounding land, with faint traces of a surrounding ditch 3m wide and 0.1m deep. The earthwork remains of a bailey enclosure lie attached to the north side of the ringwork. The bailey is defined around its west and north sides as a low scarp 0.5m high formed by cutting back the hillslope. The eastern side of the bailey can no longer be recognised as a surface earthwork but will survive as a buried feature. The hamlet of Berelawe recorded in the 13th century has been identified with the site and the field surrounding the monument was named on a map of 1840 as `the Briarleys'.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

19234

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Record 1082, Record 1082,

End of official list entry

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