Reasons for Designation
English Civil War fieldworks are earthworks which were raised during military
operations between 1642 and 1645 to provide temporary protection for infantry
or to act as gun emplacements. The earthworks, which may have been reinforced
with revetting and palisades, consisted of banks and ditches and varied in
complexity from simple breastworks to complex systems of banks and inter-
connected trenches. They can be recognised today as surviving earthworks or as
crop- or soil-marks on aerial photographs. The circumstances and cost of their
construction may be referred to in contemporary historical documents.
Fieldworks are recorded widely throughout England with concentrations in the
main areas of campaigning. Those with a defensive function were often sited to
protect settlements or their approaches. Those with an offensive function were
designed to dominate defensive positions and to contain the besieged areas.
There are some 150 surviving examples of fieldworks recorded nationally. All
examples which survive well and/or represent particular forms of construction
are identified as nationally important.
Details
The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a Civil War redoubt
at Tissington. A redoubt is a fieldwork used during military operations to
provide temporary protection for infantry or to act as gun emplacements. The
monument is situated on the brow of a hill and affords good views of the main,
northern approach road into the village, Tissington Hall and the church.
The remains include a three sided square enclosure which measures
approximately 28m across. The enclosure is defined by an internal bank, or
rampart, which measures up to 0.75m high and 5m wide with an external ditch
approximately 3m wide. Another bank runs parallel to the western side of the
ditch and measures approximately 5m wide. This would have served to enhance
the edge of the ditch on the west side where the land slopes steeply away.
Tissington Hall was garrisoned for the king by its owner, Colonel Fitzherbert
in December 1643. In 1644 the Parliamentarians routed the Royalists hereabouts
but following unsuccessful action near Ashbourne in February 1644, the
garrison was withdrawn.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
29939
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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
