| Summary : The earthwork remains of a motte and bailey extant in 1086 and possibly constructed pre-conquest. Excavations in the 1960s revealed remains of stone fortifications including an octagonal keep, four round towers and another large square keep-like tower, all probably of 12th century date. Earthwork survey by English Heritage in 2000 recorded the motte and bailey as a massive mound heavily scarred by excavation trenches, a small bailey to the east, and a ditch with counterscarp bank. Overall, the mound is some 26.5 metres high, and 60 metres in diameter at the base, tapering to circa 8 metres at the top. The bailey encloses an area of circa 0.2 hectares and is surrounded on its north, east and south sides by an irregularly shaped rampart. An inner ditch up to 10 metres wide and 0.2 metres deep surrounds the motte, while a further ditch and counterscarpo bank surrouns the motte and bailey as a whole. The archive report should be consulted for full details. |
More information : (SO 483702) RICHARD'S CASTLE (NR) (remains of) (NAT). (1)
Only the earthworks of Richard's Castle remain. It is a strong motte and bailey of the 11th c (possibly pre-Conquest). Excavations by M W Thompson & P E Curnow have revealed the basement of an octagonal stone keep on the motte, four round towers and a large square keep-like tower on the line of the curtain wall and a square gatehouse - possibly 12th c. Traces remain of a bank probably carrying a wall enclosing the village. The NW side is still recognisable. A section yielded sherds of medieval cooking-pots in the make-up and on the old surface. (2-4)
A circular foundation, in field OS 174,(SO 48657025) on the line of the town bank proved, on partial excavation, to be a dovecote (? 13th c). It was 23-4 ft in diameter, with a wall 4 ft thick and survived to a height of two or three tiers. (5)
Richard's Castle. Ruins and earthwork consisting of motte and bailey surounded by a continuous ditch, broken on the S.E. by a causeway representing the original entrance. There are traces of an outer enclosure on the W. The surviving walling is of rubble and retains no evidence of date. There seems little doubt that it is the castle called Auretone in the Domesday Survey 1086, held by Osbern fitz Richard. It passed to the families of Mortimer, Talbot and Pope. A bank and ditch extending some 50 yds N.E. from the N.E. side indicates the former existence of an outer enclosure containing the church and perhaps the early village [cf. Wigmore (SO 46 NW 7)]. (6)
A large motte and bailey, situated in woodland upon the SW end of a spur. The motte has a diameter of 55.0 m and a height of 10.0 m. Upon the summit are the excavated foundations of an octagonal stone keep, 12.0 metres across, with a small fore-building on the NE side overlooking the bailey. The bailey, to the NE and SE of the motte is 85.0m in length, NE-SW, and 60.0m in width at its widest point, N of the motte. Fragments of curtain walling stand to heights of 6.0 m along the NW side of the bailey and up the NE slope of the motte. There are further excavated fragments of curtain wall and towers around the N and E sides of the bailey. Motte and bailey are encircled by a large dry ditch, in width from 17.0 m on the SW side to 24.0 m on the NE side, and in depth from 4.0 m to 5.0 m. Except on the S side, where there are steep natural slopes, there is an outer rampart, up to 10.0 m in width and 1.5 m to 2.5 m in height, above the outside ground level. A causewayed entrance crossed the ditch on the SE side and there are remains of the gatehouse, the SW side wall of which stands to about 4.5 m and of which the foundations of the NE wall have been exposed. To the N, an outwork, comprising a rampart, 14.0 m in width, 3.0 m in height, with a ditch on the NW side, 10.0 m in width, 1.5m deep, extends from the lip of the outer ditch in a NE direction for 50.0 m, but probably originally continued for a further 40.0 m to the head of a coombe running to the SE, and so sealing off from the ridge to the N, the plateau upon which the village stands. There is no evidence to show that this work enclosed the village. No remains now exist of the dovecote which, according to villagers, was cleared away after excavation. Published 1:2500 survey revised. (7)
SO 483703. Motte and bailey, walled in stone. Mentioned in Domesday 1086 (a), it can possibly be identified with a castle noted in 1051-2 (b), although current opinion seems to favour Ewyas Harold [SO 32 NE 1]. The castle was taken in 1264. (8)
Excavations by Curnow and Thompson did not reveal evidence of the probable pre-Conquest structure. (9)
Richard's Castle. Ruined motte and bailey castle. Probably 14thc. Coursed rubble. Listed grade II. (10)
Additional references. (11-12)
The earthwork remains of castle motte and bailey of Richards Castle described by the previous authorities was seen centred at SU4834 7026 and mapped from aerial photographs. (13).
An earthwork survey was carried out on the motte and bailey and the area of the failed borough in Jan 2000. The motte and bailey comprises a massive mound that is heavily scarred by excavation trenches, a small bailey to the east, and a ditch and counterscarp bank. Sections of the curtain wall on the northern side remain exposed; elsewhere there are small fragments of exposed walling, parts of which appear to have been excavated. Stonework tumble is also evident in the ditch in the north and west.
Overall the mound is some 26.5m high on the west side with a base diameter of c 60m tapering to 8m at the top. A large amount of loose stonework and a linear excavation trench is evident on the eastern slope. Above this is an apsidal tower with parts of the walling exposed. Elsewhere around the upper part of the motte there are further exposed excavation trenches. A break in the slope at the base of these trenches probably marks the base of the keep. On the western side there are two sections of exposed bedrock.
The bailey encloses an area of c 0.2ha and is surrounded on the north, east and south sides by an irregularly shaped rampart. An inner ditch, up to 10m wide and c 0.2m deep, is present at the base of the motte. Between the mound and the rampart is a linear scarp overlying the ditch. A building platform occupies the south-western side of the bailey; it is defined by a stone wall measuring 0.7m high and extends from the gatehouse in an L-shape and parallel to the rampart.
The north-eastern part of the rampart measures 60m in length overall and extends from the top of the motte for 35m before dog-legging slightly for a further 25m. Throughout its course there are traces of stonework of the curtain wall and two sub-circular depressions that have been interpreted by the 1960s excavators as mural towers. The upper one, however, was later adapted as a dovecote in the 15th century. To the east of this tower is a length of surviving curtain wall measuring 17m long and 1m wide and c 3m high.
Surrounding the motte and bailey is a ditch and counterscarp bank. Along the southern side the bottom of the ditch measures up to 10m below the bailey and 2.5m below the counterscarp bank. In the north it is up to 6.6m below the bailey ground level and 1.9m below the top of the counterscarp. Access to the bailey, through the stone gatehouse, was over a causeway, which measured 5m wide and 2.1m above the base of the ditch. To the south-west of the causeway, the external face of the ditch is vertical and appears to have been re-cut for c 7m, possibly to support a structure. See archive report for further details (14).
Listed and described by Shoesmith. (15) |