The Mount: a motte castle 200m west of Weston Farm

Reasons for Designation

Motte 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-bai1ey 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 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 and motte-and-bailey castles are recorded nationally, with examples known from most regions. Some 100-150 examples do not have baileys and are classified as motte castles. 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of time, motte castles continued to be built and occupied from the 11th to the 13th centuries, after which they were superseded by other types of castle.

Despite its partial use as a quarry for soil, the motte castle known as The Mount is a good example of this class of monument. The motte will retain evidence of its construction and the buried remains of structures built upon its summit. Organic remains preserved in the buried ground surface beneath the motte, and deposited within the encircling ditch, will provide information about the local environment and the use of the land prior to and following the construction of the motte. It remains a prominent feature within the landscape.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a motte castle, occupying an elevated position with commanding views of the north Shropshire plain and the hills of the Welsh borderland beyond. It is situated 820m to the south west of Red Castle, which is the subject of a separate scheduling. The flat-topped, steep-sided circular motte measures approximately 30m at its base and between 15m to 18m across the top, and stands about 4.2m high. The size of the motte indicates that it was only large enough to support a small structure such as a watchtower. The motte is surrounded by a ditch about 7m wide, which on the eastern side is visible as a shallow depression 0.5m deep. To the north and west this ditch has been infilled, but will survive as a buried feature. Two depressions on the top and on the south eastern side of the motte are the result of quarrying for earth in modern times. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

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:

34914

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hill, J, Antquities of Hawkestone, (1829), 12-13
Hill, J, Antquities of Hawkestone, (1829), 53-54

End of official list entry

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