More information : (SO 25889846). Castle (NR) (site of) (NAT)
(SO 25809857). King's Orchard (NR). (1)
Chirbury Castle, the ancient burh built by Ethelfleda (Aethelflaed) in 915 AD and mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle, lies in a field called "Castle Field" or sometimes "King's Orchard". It is situated west of a bend in the stream and 25 feet above it. (2)
Although the burh is now destroyed its site is clear. This is an elevated platform, contained between two heads of a stream, lying SW of, and very near the church and divided from it by a deep valley. (Clark notes that the field is called "Castle Field" and is near to the "King's Orchard"). (3)
The site of Chirbury Castle occupies a commanding position in a field now known as the "King's Orchard", between the heads of a fair-sized brook which unite below, thus protecting the three northern sides. On the spur are the remains of a rectangular (and therefore Roman) encampment, of which only two sides remain, one having been removed for the deep cutting of the high road and the other eroded by the encroachment of the brook. (4)
King's Orchard, Chirbury, excavated July 1958 by Dr FT Wainwright. (5)
The excavations of 1958 into the bank surrounding two sides of the rectangular enclosure marked on OS maps as "Castle (site of)" revealed it to be a slight rampart of thrown-up earth and stones, with no sign of a palisade. The associated ditch appeared to be designed more for drainage than for defence. The earthworks had the appearance of being unfinished or of never having been used and an examination of the interior produced no evidence of occupation. No positive dating evidence was found, but taking into account its defensive position, its relation to an ancient
gap in the nearby Offa's Dyke, its control of a main route into (and from) central Wales, and its place in the national system of defence devised against the Danes, it is possible to conclude that the so called "castle" at Chirbury is probably the fortress built by Ethelflaed at Cyricbyrig or Cyriburh in 915 AD. (6)
While the rectangular enclosure in "King's Orchard" at SO25889846 may represent the remains of Aethelflaed's burh, in view of the fact that Wainwright could find no dating evidence nor evidence of occupation, and considering the comparatively
greater proportions and larger enclosed areas of the earthworks of known Saxon burhs in this country, these earthworks may in fact be no more than what they at first appear to be, i.e. old field boundary banks of Md or post Md date, and that the site of Aethelflaed's burh must be looked for elsewhere probably beneath the present village of Chirbury.
The enclosure has sides of 60m., and is bounded on the N by a bank, 3.0m in width, 0.3m in height, with an outer ditch, 3.0m in width, 0.2m in depth; on the W side by a scarp, 4.0m in width, up to 6.3m in height with traces of a bank above it; on the E side by scarping of the natural slopes that fall to the brook and on the S side by a modern road cutting. An earthen ramp up the scarp on the W side may be an entrance to the enclosures. No other relevant features were noted within King's Orchard or around the village of Chirbury.
Published 1/2500 survey revised. (7)
SO 258 984: Castle Mound 100 yds (90m) NW of Chirbury Bridge.
Scheduled.(sic)(8)(9) The rectangular enclosure described above was seen as earthworks and mapped from aerial photographs during the Marches Uplands Mapping Project. It is as described by the previous authorities, being 60m across and defined by a single bank, centred at SO 2586 9847. The aerial photographic evidence does suggest that the feature is a medieval or post medieval field however an earlier Medieval date cannot completely be ruled out.
A linear field bank is visible running south-westward from the south -west `corner' of the enclosure at SO 2582 9839. Well preserved ridge and furrow lies in the field immediately adjacent to the enclosure. However, the fact that the field is known as Kings Orchard may suggest that the marks relate to a post medieval or later orchard plantation. (Morph No. MU.395.2 and 3) (10)
SO 25879847. The remains of a medieval ringwork, located on a ridge west of the village of Chirbury. On the western and northern sides, the earthen bank and external ditch survive as upstanding earthworks. The eastern extent of the ringwork is defined by the valley side, with a low bank running along the edge of the steepest part of the slope. The defences on the southern side have been levelled by cultivation. Extensive remains of post medieval ridge and furrow surround the western and northern sides of the ringwork. Scheduled. (11) |