| Summary : Medieval bailey, two mottes, moat and fish pond seen as earthworks in Hamstead Marshall Park. One of the mottes is an oval mound, approximately 60 metres across, and is surrounded on the western side by a wide ditch, probably a moat. The bailey is an oblong mound, 130 metres by 65 metres in size. Scheduled. |
More information : SU 42206683 & SU 42126691] CASTLE MOUNDS. (1)
Two mounds on the northern margin of Hamstead Marshall Park formerly thought to be tumuli but now considered to be castle mounds castle mounds (2) (4). Scheduled.
Mound at [SU 42206683] has an irregular bailey to the north. There is no direct evidence of the building of these mounds and at no time has Hamstead been regarded as the seat of a castle or as a place of military significance.
[Plans AO/LP/63/95 & 96]. (2-4)
The two mottes are situated just outside the north-western corner of the medieval deer park (SU 46 NW 15) on a north facing slope commanding the Kennet valley.
A rectangular flat bottomed pit to the south of the west motte may be associated with the complex. It has a low wide bank along its northern side but its function is not clear.
Surveyed at 1:2500. (q.v. SU 46 NW 15). (5)
The dating of the mottes is a matter for some speculation. Myres considers that the mottes are neither to be dated between AD 1066 and 1154 where they could be associated with the probably illicit activities of Hugolin Stirman and the early Marshals, nor to the 13th century. Certainly there must have been buildings on the site in AD 1218 as King Henry III was entertained there. The date of the pottery from the bottom of the hill on which the mottes are situated might be seen as supporting the idea of an early date for the construction of the mottes. (6)
The site was surveyed by RCHME staff during May 1986 at the request of the Berkshire County Planning Department.
The site comprises two mounds one 40m by 50m and 4.7m in height the other 60m in diameter and 6.8m high.
The smaller of the pair is surrounded by a ditch with a maximum depth of 2m. The summit is heel-shaped and has been damaged by trees. Below the top of the mound the profile is interrupted by a step, this is either the original surface or the result of later alterations. The other larger mound is slightly oval in plan and has traces of a low ring bank on the NW side. The mound is surrounded except to the N by a 2.7m deep ditch.
For further information see reports held in archive. (7)
The following features were mapped from good quality air photographs:-
Medieval motte and bailey, seen as earthworks. The motte is an oval mound, approximately 60m across, and is surrounded on the western side by a wide ditch, probably a moat. It is centred at SU 4212 6691. The bailey is an oblong mound, 130m by 65m in size, and lies centred at SU 4221 6685.
Also, a large rectangular pit, probably an Early Medieval or later fishpond was seen as earthworks lying centred at SU 4213 6682.
(Morph No. BE.19.22.1-4)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database. (8)
Listed by Cathcart King. (9) |