More information : (TQ 44901433) Castle Mount (LB) (1)
Clay Hill Mount: A small enclosure with trees. The horseshoe-shaped crest is caused by the depressed centre and eastern entrance. Though continuous all round, the outer edge of the ditch is not well defined on the N side.
A slight excavation of the surface soil over part of the depressed
centre yielded one or two sherds of Norman or medieval pottery. A trench was also cut into the middle of the S side of the entrance. It produced no finds, but showed the mound is nearly entirely
composed of stiff clay obtained from the surrounding ditch.
A pronounced bank with ditch on the S side runs in a W direction from the E hedge halfway across the centre of the field. It is possible that it formed part of an outer bailey.
Mound some 40 m in diameter and 2-3 m in height surrounded by a ditch (except on its N side where the ditch may have been destroyed by ploughing) and the remains of a bank 7.5 m across and 0.9 m in height. The mound has the appearance of a castle motte, though its position is not a favourable one for defence.
There is a considerable scatter of flint in the ploughed field S of the mound at the point TQ 44921427. There are slight traces of
possible `entrance' to the mound on the E side. (2)
Ringwork castle. Rather rectangular in plan. (3)
The mutilated remains of a motte, overgrown with trees and scrub, and situated on a gentle N-facing slope. It measures c 40.0m in diameter and c 3.0m high above outside ground level, surrounded by a ditch, 7.0m across and about 1.5m deep, save on the N side where it is ploughed out. The ditch has been re-cut recently for drainage purposes. The summit is pock-marked by excavation trenches, wartime digging etc, giving the false impression of a bank around the S arc, and leading to the erroneous classification as a ringwork by King and Alcock. The alleged E entrance is probably a result of mutilations.
Only about 9.0 m of the bank to the S of the motte remains, the rest having been ploughed out, so it cannot be determined whether this was a bailey. The farmer has not noticed unusual soil marks or crop growth, and no finds are known to have been made. The motte is known locally by the OS descriptive name "Castle Mound".
Resurveyed at 1:2500. (4) |