More information : (SJ 59619617) Castle Hill (NR) (1)
Castle Hill occupies a commanding site at the north east corner of a slightly raised plateau. The mound is slightly oval in form, conical and truncated at the top, and is built mainly on bare sandstone rock. On its north west, west and south west sides it is defended by a ditch, but elsewhere, the steep scarps of the river valley offer protection. The mound is 17ft high above the bottom of the ditch, 40ft across the top and 105 ft wide at the base, where the ditch is 5ft deep and 32ft wide. There are no traces of masonry. There is no sign of an adjacent bailey, but an old inhabitant still remembers the existence of ditches and banks in a slightly elevated field to the south.
In 1843 excavation revealed a whetstone, a pottery sherd, burnt clay, coal ashes, charcoal and fire burnt stones. A long narrow chamber 21ft by 2ft by 2ft was also found within the south side of the mound; the floor was covered with a mixture of wood ashes, calcined bones, and half burnt animal matter. A distinct impression of an adult human body was visible on the pressed clay lining of the roof. Evidence suggests that Castle Hill is a defensive earthwork of Class D or E. (2-6)
Resurveyed at 1/2500. (7)
SJ 596 961. Castle Hill, Scheduled. (8)
Excavation in 1987 proved the mound to be constructed of sand and turf, and identified its ditch on 3 sides. The 19th century excavation could not be reinterpreted. Timbers found within the mound may then represent a collapsed structure, such as a small watch-tower associated with the capital messuage. (9)
SJ 5960 9617. All surface traces of the bailey have been obscured by massive earthmoving operations undertaken during motorway construction. Castle Hill motte and bailey and bowl barrow scheduled, RSM No. 13503. (10)
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