Monument record MLI60741 - Castle Hill, Welbourn

Summary

Castle Hill, medieval ringwork, Welbourn

Type and Period (5)

  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1300 AD? to 1399 AD?)
  • (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1399 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

PRN 60741 Castle hill is traditionally thought to be the remains of a medieval motte, although later interpretation has described it as a ring work castle dating from the 11th-12th centuries. Castle hill is an irregular D shaped enclosure covering 130m x 130m to the outer edges of its ditches. The wide ditches and massive bank protect the enclosure on all sides except the south and southwest, where there is a lighter double bank and stream. The now largely destroyed rectangular enclosure to the west has been interpreted as an outer bailey or a subsequent moat area belonging to the same castle. {1}{2}{11}{12} C.W Philips believed the monument to be undoubtedly the remains of a medieval motte. At Welbourn there us a fortified mansion said to have belonged to Sir John Popham. A wide moat once surrounded a fortalice and southwards with the area two parallel trenches. A 15th century key has come from the site. The OS field inspector interpreted the site as a medieval moated defence work not a motte. {2} The outer lip of the ditch is no longer visible as it lies beneath the encircling road {4} Documentary research undertaken during a desktop assessment has established that the monument is a ring work and not a motte and bailey, present evidence suggests that there never was a motte on the site. Further to the desktop assessment, an earthwork survey and geophysical survey were undertaken, which reinforce Downman's identification of the southern arm of the moat. Well-defined building foundations, and a series of defensive features at the southern edge of the site were also identified, as well as a number of burnt or industrial features in the east of the site. {5}{6}{7} Sherds of 10th-12th century Stamford ware recovered during trial trenching suggest activity that either predates the castle or dates to the castle's initial construction and inhabitation. Two phases of rampart were identified, with the latter phase probably relating to the documented provision of a stone wall around the castellum in 1158; the earlier rampart appears to relate to a structure or complex in existence prior to this date. Wall tumble and a footing trench dating to the 13th-14th centuries were recorded, while finds were indicative of a medieval domestic assemblage and iron working on the site. Demolition rubble confirmed the site's abandonment after this period - historical data gives a date of 1374 for the abandonment. Robber trenches suggest the removal of building stone, probably for use in the village and the church of St. Chad. A lack of early post-medieval finds suggests that the site remained abandoned until the 18th century. {8}{9} The interior of the ring work formerly accommodated buildings, which were, referred to in a document of 1288 these include; a hall with two chambers, a kitchen, brew house, ox house, cowshed and sheepfold. Also mentioned were a wall surmounted by a tower, and a ditch around the court. Geophysical survey indicates buried building remains mainly on the western and central parts of the ring work, while an oven and pits have been suggested for features detected on the eastern side. A circular feature approximately 15m in diameter on the west side of the ring work may be the remains of the aforementioned tower. The scheduling includes the earthwork and buried remains of Castle Hill. At the southwestern corner of the ring work, the bank is included in the scheduling. However, the ditch has been infilled and is obscured by modern residential development, and this portion of the external ditch is therefore not included in the scheduling. All fence and display board posts, telegraph poles and modern garden walls are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included. {10}

Sources/Archives (14)

  •  Scheduling Record: HBMC. AM 7. SAM 116.
  •  Index: OS CARD INDEX. WELBOURN. SK 95 SE:2,1964, BAIRD J.
  •  Article in Serial: MAYHEW, S.M.. 1879. JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. VOL 35, P279-80.
  •  Aerial Photograph: 1945-84. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION. ARC60,1967, .
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. Sept 1999. Desk top assessment and earthwork survey of Welbourn Castle. WCH99.
  •  Archive: Lindsey Archaeological Services. Sept 1999. Desk top assessment and earthwork survey of Welbourn Castle. LCNCC 10.99.
  •  Report: GSB Prospection Ltd. April 1999. Welbourn Castle geophysical survey. WCH99.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. Nov 2000. Evaluation of Castle Hill, Welbourn. WCHF00.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. Nov 2000. Evaluation of Castle Hill, Welbourn. LCNCC 2000.215.
  •  Scheduling Record: English Heritage. 2002. Castle Hill ringwork. 33129 MPP23.
  •  Index: SMR FILE. WELBOURN. AK 95 SE, AE.
  •  Unpublished Document: Ordnance Survey. post 1979. Welbourn parish. SK 95 SE, 2.
  •  Aerial Photograph: 1945-84. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION. ARC 60.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). page 784.

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Location

Grid reference Centred SK 9681 5432 (118m by 143m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish WELBOURN, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (8)

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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