More information :
[SC 37107827] Fort [NR] (1)
Castleward, old name Knoc y Troddan i.e. Hill of Contest. (2)
It is situated on a steep isolated hillock of rock. The field in
which it stands was known as Magher y Caggey or Field of the Battle.
On Sept 5 1929 it was visited by the Cambrian Arch Assoc when Dr
Willoughby Gardner said that the work was of feudal, not tribal
construction. If found on the mainland, it would be known as a Motte
and assigned to the 12th C. (3)
[Magher y Caggey is in Onchan parish. [SC 37 NE 20] (2 - 3)
Erected on a natural rock base. On the summit a more or less circularflat area with an earthen protective wall, below are roomy and well
formed terraces. The whole is enclosed by an earthen fence - Remains
of a Norwegian station. (a)
A letter written to the Ordnance Surveyor in 1867 states that this is
the remains of a Cromwellian fort. There is no corroboration in
history to support either of these opinions, This could not have beena place of defence in historic times the fact that it is overlooked bythe near by ridge to the W would make it untenable. (4)
This is not a Motte but is of Iron Age or Dark Ages date. The top
part of it is vitrified. (5)
A steep sided grass and tree covered mound with a rock face in the
west. It is a natural feature situated in fairly low lying ground andit rises to a peak. The strong natural defences have been
additionally strengthened by a series of banks and on the summit is anapprox circular area - A - 14.5M diameter surrounded by an earth and
stone bank with indications of stone wall lining in the interior. Theupper width of this bank is 1.5m and it now has a maximum interior
height of 1.4m. There is an entrance 2.0m wide in the east.
In the north is a semi circular outer bank, 0.6m upper width, max
heighth 1.3m, forming a small inner bailey type enclosure. This is
pierced with an entrance in the east set in line with the entrance to
A. South of the entrance the bailey bank has deteriorated to a
terrace.
An outer bailey bank of no greater strength than a modern field bank
and much mutilated exists from B-C, but from C-D it develops to 4.5m
wide with a steep inner drop of 1.4m thin providing an outer ditch
6.5m wide. From D to E there are indications of the removal of this
bank leaving only an outer glacis type slope.
From E to F is the original entrance which curves down to G. It
continues in line, via a rampart, across the outer ditch and through
the inner bailey into the upper enclosure A. This causeway is 3.0m
wide. South of the entrance the outer bailey splits into two forming
two small enclosures with weak banks. At H is another enclosure, alsosmall, with weak outer bank.
From A the ground falls down continuously through inner and outer
baileys and slightly beyond to the modern field boundary shown on OS
25".
The angular junction of baileys with each other and with the Motte
summit at 'A' is, in itself, almost sufficient to classify the
earthwork as a Norman type Motte and Bailey. No trace of
vitrification was found.
A plaque indicates that this is a protected monument.
Until 1947 this site was accepted as the only typical example of a
Norman type Motte and bailey on the Island.
St J O'Neil who was an expert on Mottes quite definitely stated that
this was not one and his view has been accepted by all but Bersu. St
J O'Neil view was that it was probably DA. (6)
Crescentic enclosure to the SE of Castleward closely resembles detail
at Fort (Borrane) [SC 27 NW 2] (7)
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