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TREGATE CASTLE

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The earthwork remains of a motte and bailey castle and fishponds. The motte has a base diameter of 53 metres and a height of from 3 metres on the south east side to 6 metres on the north west side. Evidence of a shell keep has been reported on top of the motte. There are traces of an outer ditch on the north west side. Adjoining the south side is a small bailey extending 6 to 12 metres from the base of the motte. There are also earthwork remains of terraces and three rectangular medieval fishponds.

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(SO47981715) Motte & Bailey (NR). (1)

Tregate Castle. Motte and bailey. A roughly circular mound, circa 60 yds in diameter, with a slight rampart enclosing remains of masonry and rising circa 12 ft above the bailey. To the SE are a series of terraces which apppear to have formed two or possibly three, outer courts of rectangulr form. There are traces of a ditch on the NE side. (2)

A box, 10 ft square, was cut on the top of the motte, much black medieval pottery was found above the natural clay sub-soil, which had been dug into, and a fairly large post hole was dated by a rim of medieval cooking pottery.

In the north corner a pit had been dug; both this and the levels
above contained large blocks of tufa.

A 30ft trench was also cut at the foot of the western rampart
but no defensive works were discovered.

Excavation suggested a 12th century earth and timber castle occupied for no more than a 100 years, when it must have reverted to a fortified farmhouse. (3)

Motte and bailey situated upon the SW end of a pasture-covered spur between two valleys. The Motte has a base diameter of 53.0m and a height of from 3.0m on the SE side to 6.0m on the NW side. There are traces of an outer ditch on the NW side. This ditch must have once continued around the NE side to have effectively cut off the site from the ridge top rising to the NE. The ground is now occupied by a modern road. Tregate Castle farmhouse is set into the SE side of the motte.

Adjoining the S side is a small bailey extending 6.0 to 12.0m from the base of the motte. Beyond, as described above, are three rectangular terraces, descending a gentle slope to a stream in the valley bottom. They are 60.0m in length, 20.0 to 30.0m in width and are separated by lynchet-like slopes, 1.0m in height. They are bounded at the NE ends by the remains of a ditch, 13.0m in width and up to 1.0m in depth. The upper terrace is likewise bounded at the southern end by a ditch, 11.0m wide and 0.7m deep, which possibly also descended to the stream, but has been destroyed by stone quarrying.

Remains of three Md rectangular fishponds, now dry, lie in series along the stream, the lowest being below the terraces. They are 50.0 to 70.0m in length and 15.0 to 20.0m in width.
Published 1:2500 survey revised. (4)

Tregate Castle, built in the Tudor period, "evidently once an
important residence", now used as a farmhouse. [See SO 41 NE 28]. (5)

Additional reference. (6-7)

Listed by Shoesmith. (8)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1964

( 2) Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England 1931 An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire. Volume I: south-west

1931 Page(s)172

( 3) Archaeol Wales (CBA Group 2)

CBA Gp 2 AW 10. 1970 26. 10 Page(s)26

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ASP 11-OCT-72

( 5) edited by William Page, F.S.A. 1908 The Victoria history of the county of Hereford, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1908 Page(s)223

( 6) Woolhope Club Archaeology Research Section Herefordshire archaeological newsheet

(S C Stanford) 14 - 1969 Page(s)4

( 7) by David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery

1983 Page(s)208

( 8) by Ron Shoesmith 1996 A guide to castles and moated sites in Herefordshire

Monuments in the landscape1 (1994) - vol.2 Page(s)166

(9) General reference

Phillips, N. 2006. 'The earthwork castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250'. BAR

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