| Summary : A Medieval motte, visible as an earthwork mound and ditch, was mapped from aerial photographs taken in 1946. Located on the coastal promontory of Sand Point at Middle Hope, on the ridgeline at the east end of Swallow Cliff; the (scheduled) motte known as Castle Batch is a subcircular earthwork mound about 28 to 30 metres in diameter. At the base of the motte's eastern (landward) edge, a curvilinear ditch is aligned roughly north-south, measuring about 32 metres long and about 1 metre wide. East of this the ground is very uneven, probably as a result of rock quarrying for the mound. The western half of the earthwork has been partially destroyed by the construction of a Second World War building and possibly a buried shelter (HOB UID 1461011/ST 36 NW 29). About 21 metres to the southwest, a linear earthbank bank (HOB UID 1461028/ST 36 NW 30) may also be associated with the motte defences. The motte earthwork mound was still visible on aerial photographs taken in 1985. |
More information : IST 3263 6603] CASTLE BATCH [G.T.]. (1)
A castle mound named Castle Batch by Rutter. It has a ditch on the east and hut sites, (Bailey?), on the north. (2)
The name Castle Batch has been published on the authority of Rutter (a) who, however, makes no mention of the name in his 'Delineations...'
There is another Castle Batch at ST 362637; the name is common in the area. (3)
A castle mound, strongly sited on a promontory, with the ground to the north and south falling steeply to the sea. The west side
of the mound has been severely mutilated by war-time buildings. There is a ditch to the east across the landward approach and, east of this the ground is very uneven, probably as a result of rock quarrying for the mound; a bailey, or hut sites, here seems unlikely. There are two approaches to the mound: a terraced way from the south-west (seaward), and a track, apparently more recent, from the south-east.
A divorced survey at 1/2500 has been made. (4)
No physical change. The name Castle Batch is an evident mis-identification by Crawford. There is no local tradition of a name to this site prior to the O.S. publication. (5)
Considered by King to be "just a narrow curving bank across the sharp crest of Middle Hope, a very remarkable geological formation. Behind it there is a vaguely level area, with a slight 'bank', (only about 3ft. high, and probably natural) on the far side". (6)
Castle mound, scheduled (7)
A Medieval motte, visible as an earthwork mound and ditch, was mapped from aerial photographs taken in 1946. Located on the coastal promontory of Sand Point at Middle Hope, on the ridgeline at the east end of Swallow Cliff; the (scheduled) motte known as Castle Batch is centred at ST 3260 6603. The motte is a subcircular earthwork mound about 28 to 30 metres in diameter. At the base of the motte's eastern (landward) edge, a curvilinear ditch is aligned roughly north-south, measuring about 32 metres long and about 1 metre wide (ST 3264 6604 to ST 3263 6602). The western half of the earthwork has been partially destroyed by the construction of a Second World War building and possibly a buried shelter (HOB UID 1461011/ST 36 NW 29). About 21 metres to the southwest, a linear earthbank bank (HOB UID 1461028/ST 36 NW 30) which extends 72 metres down the south slope of the promontory to the cliff line may be associated with the motte defences. The motte earthwork mound was still visible on aerial photographs taken in 1985. (8-11)
The earthwork mound and ditch were still upstanding monuments on an API field visit to the site on 10th November 2007. (12)
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