More information : Area SK 9680 5432. Castle Hill. (1)
Undoubtedly the remains of a mediaeval motte (2). Castle Hill,
Scheduled (3). At Welbourn, is a fortified mansion said to have
belonged to Sir John Popham. A wide moat once surrounded a fortalice and southwards within the area are two parallel trenches. A 15th century key has come from the site (4).
This is a medieval moated defensive work, not a motte. There are no indications of an internal building but the whole has been much disturbed. Published survey (25") revised. (5)
Castle Hill (SK 9680 5432: FCE) lies at 35m above OD on the north to south Jurassic lias edge (British Geological Survey 1979, Geological Map of the UK), between Lincoln and Leadenham with the valley of the River Brant to the west. It is situated at the northern end of the cliff-edge village of Welbourne, at the southern end of Nookin Lane before the lane splits to wrap itself around the monument.
Castle Hill is an irregular D-shaped enclosure covering 130m x 130m to the outer edges of its ditches. The banks and ditches of the monument are tree-covered accompanied by a dense undergrowth: the interior has been ploughed within recent years although it has subsequently been returned to pasture and used for horse grazing. No trace of the original outer lip of the ditch was visible as this now lies beneath the encircling road. The northern part of the enclosure is defined by a curving earthen bank, between 3m and 5m in height with an internal counter-scarp for most of its length. The easterly side is defined as a gently curving feature whereas the western side has a facetted appearance. It was unclear whether this was an original feature of the monument or has resulted from later modifications. Along the eastern side there is an internal bank 45m in length: in this section the top of the bank is about 3m above the base of the ditch and 2m to 3m above the interior. At the north-eastern corner there is a gap in the internal bank. The surface in the gap lies at a similar level to the surrounding road surface. Westwards from this gap the bank gradually increases in height to a maximum of 3m internally and 5m externally. At the southern end of this side two cottages and their gardens are set against the bank, the successors to two buildings shown in the nineteenth century by the Ordnance Survey (Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Lincolnshire XCVI.2, 1887). The southern side of the monument is closed by two shallow linear ditches, the inner ditch about 12m in width and the outer 6m.
The interior of the monument at the time of investigation was heavily overgrown by weeds, therefore no assessment of the survival or otherwise of surface remains was possible. A previous investigator (auth.5) noted no internal features. The enclosed area covers an area of about 78m x 60m: the interior is level and lies at approximately the same height as the surrounding road surfaces and gardens.
The substantial nature of earthen bank coupled with the name Castle Hill are entirely consistent with the interpretation of this monument as a ringwork castle dating from the end of the 11th or 12th centuries. (6)
The Medieval ringwork described by the previous authorities has
been mapped at 1:10,000 scale from air photographs as part of the RCHME: Lincolnshire NMP. (7)
SK 96815432. The remains of Castle Hill medieval ringwork. It is roughly D-shaped in plan and to the north, east and west is defined by a bank and external ditch, with a gap in the bank to the north east. On the south side, the boundary takes the form of three parallel ditches. In a document of 1288, the site is described as containing a hall with 2 chambers, a kitchen, a brewhouse, an oxhouse, a cowshed and a sheep fold. The document also refers to a wall surmounted by a tower, and a ditch, running around the court. A geophysical survey has demonstrated the presence of buried building remains and identified a circular feature on the west side of the site, thought to represent the remains of the tower. Limited archaeological excavation has produced evidence of building remains from the 13th to the 14th centuries. Scheduled. (8) |