More information : [TQ 69224279] Castle [NR] (1)
Castle Hill, Brenchley. (Listed under 'Castle Mounts'. Class D)
This earthwork stands 195 ft. above sea level on the side of a gently sloping hill which affords no natural defence. The entrenchments are not in a good state of preservation, and the ground is very uneven in surface both outside and within the enclosure; the original plan is not easily distinguished, but the work appears to have consisted of a deep fosse with the ballast thrown on both sides to form two ramparts. The only opening is on the south east and is presumably the original entrance. (2)
Brenchley Castle seems absolutely devoid of history; date of erection unknown. (3)
In Castle Wood, Brenchley, there is an unusual, well-preserved earthwork. It is situated on a NE spur of Castle Hill, at a height of 190 ft. OD., with the ground falling away fairly steeply to the NW and SE; the subsoil is clay. The earthwork is near-circular on plan measuring 60m NW-SE by 54m. transversely within strong defences comprising two banks with a medial ditch on all sides except the west and south west. Here a further ditch with slight outer bank has been added (see section) presumably to cover the more vulnerable approach from the SW.
The original entrance appears to have been in the SE. where there is a gap in the inner rampart now traversed by a footpath. A significant offsetting of the outer rampart in the SW side, together with an innerberm suggests a complex entrance approach. A further gap in the west side is caused by the footpath already mentioned. A pond at the south corner is probaby the result of modern drainage.
Within the enclosed area there is a barrow-like mound, averaging 20m. in diameter and 0.6m in height, surrounded by a shallow ditch across the NW quadrant of which a faint causeway is visible. Overlying the inner rampart at the NW and SW corners are two earthen mounds. The former is circular on plan measuring 11m. in diameter by 1.6m in height; it has a large hollow in the centre and a gap/entrance to the SE. The SW example is rectangular on plan measuring 10.5m. in length, 7m in breadth and 0.8m in height, with a hollowed centre; it is clearly later than the rampart. This earthwork is not a castle-mound, as stated by the VCH and published on OS 1". Its general appearance and topographical position sugest an Iron Age date and the offsetting of the outer rampart and the berm feature would appear to add support to this dating. (4)
No change: survey of 13.3.61 checked and correct. (5)
TQ 692428 Scheduled listing Kent 39. (6)
This is a motte and consists of a deep ditch with ballast thrown up on both sides to form two ramparts and is circular in shape. The only opening is on the south east and is presumably the original entrance. (7)
TQ 69224278. A medieval ringwork situated on the crest of a spur of Castle Hill. The monument comprises a roughly circular central area surrounded by a series of defensive banks and ditches. A small mound and a rectangular enclosure overlie the defences on the north and west sides. Metal working slag found on the north eastern side of the site suggests that the area was once used for small scale industrial activity. Scheduled. (8)
Listed by Cathcart King. (9)
Listed in Defence gazetteer. (10) |