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.
Details
The monument includes a medieval ringwork castle and the remains of a bailey
on the northern side. The monument is on a shoulder of Buckton Moor commanding
a view of the valleys of the River Tame and the Carr Brook where they meet.
The ringwork is constructed as a raised platform measuring 35m by 40m and is
roughly rectangular. The site is enclosed by a bank which is in fact a
collapsed wall of mortared blocks of stone with a mortared rubble core. The
stonework has been exposed in places by erosion by sheep and human activity,
particularly on the western side. This wall was around 2m wide. An
outer ditch surrounds the site on the north west and south sides. On the south
western side the natural steep slope of the hill provides the outer defence.
The ditch is on average 10m wide and up to 6m deep where it is best preserved
on the south eastern side. There are two visible entrances on the north west
corner and the south east corner and there seems to be evidence for the latter
being later in date. The northern entrance is protected by a spur of walling
on its western side 25m long and built up on a mound of earth and stone to
compensate for the slope. Two related earthworks extend towards the north west
from the ringwork. The western earthwork is visible for 50m of its length and
the eastern one for 90m. The latter earthwork has a barely visible external
ditch about 3m wide. These features enclose an area 75m by 50m forming an oval
bailey on the northern side of the ringwork castle. The site has been
previously identified as a Romano-British earthwork fort and as a Late Iron
Age promontory fort but current opinion, in the light of a more detailed
survey in 1991, has decided in favour of a medieval date for the monument. The
site was described as a ruined castle in 1360.
The site was used as a beacon during the time of the Pilgrimage of Grace
and also at the time of the Spanish Armada in the 16th century.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27598
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
