| Summary : In its present form, Cawood Castle Garth is bounded by the broad ditch known as New Cut (SE 53 NE 21) and covers an area of 4.6ha. Within this area lies a smaller rectangular enclosure of 1.6ha, formerly moated on at least three sides, which is clearly the site of a garden, probably 17th-century or earlier. This is presumably the 'garth' (garden) in question. References to a garden are made in c1235 and 1447, though redesigns may well have continued up until the destruction of the palace in the Civil War. The design of the garden is nearly symmetrical, with a slightly embanked perimeter walk along the inner edge of the moat and a central path, also embanked, along the long axis. The north-eastern end of the area contains slight traces of ridges, perpendicular to and staggered either side of the axial path. This area has been convincingly interpreted as the site of an orchard, possibly part of the 7 acres called Apulgarth Flatte in 1515. The south-west end of the area contains three ponds, of which two are now dry. These two perhaps originally formed a single pond, making the design almost perfectly symmetrical. New Cut, which is itself a canal-like feature and encloses another pond which was evidently once more rectangular than today, may represent the expansion of the garden. At its south-east end, it seems to have turned and connected to the the corner of the smaller moated enclosure.On the south-east side of the smaller moated enclosure, a later platform supported a building overlooking the moat. Nearby, the site of a 19th-century 'kennels' is known from historic maps. Within the area enclosed by New Cut, two other earthwork enclosures, one perhaps surrounding a building, post-date the Cut, and are therefore presumably post-medieval in origin. They may however be connected with the garden. A large clay extraction pit was used for growing osiers in the 19th century. |
More information : Centred at SE 573 376 Castle Garth (NAT)
SE 5738 3757 Moat (NR)
SE 5734 3762; SE 5749 3765 Fish Pond (NAT) (two shown) (1)
The remaining earthworks comprise two broad, rectangular moats
without ramparts. An outer enclosure of 15 acres has traces of
foundations and fishponds, an inner one of 5.5 acres has three ponds.
It appears that the outer ditch, of which only the south side survives, formerly extended along Bishop Dike (SE 53 NE 22 - LINEAR 212) on the west, Broad Lane to the east and Thorpe Lane on the north. Resurveyed at 1:2500. (2)
Condition unchanged. (3)
The earthworks of two wards, probably some sort of quadrangular
castle. (4)
Centred at SE 573 376, the earthworks within Castle Garth were
surveyed onto the current OS 25" map in November 1989 as a part of
the RCHME Cawood Survey. The original plan and a full field account
are held in the NMR archive. The garth is a flat, roughly trapezoidal
area of c 5.3 hectares, situated within the village of Cawood,
immediately SW of the remains of Cawood Castle (see SE 53 NE 2), and
bounded on the NW by Bishop Dike (SE 53 NE 22), on the SE by
encroaching back gardens of private housing, and in the SW by the playing field of a school. Mostly it is common ground under permanent
pasture, but the NW corner is fenced off as a garden of a private
house, formerly a farm, named Cawood Castle, a Grade II listed
building probably dating from the late 17th century with 18th and
19th century additions and alterations.
The somewhat enigmatic earthworks in and around the edge of Castle
Garth are not entirely cohesive, and it is unlikely that they served
the same purpose at the same time. Authority 2 has described `moated'
inner and outer enclosures, which authority 4 has suggested are the
remains of a castle, based presumably on the diposition of ditches in
the garth and on the assumption that they are moats. This does not
withstand close examination. Firstly the position of the archiepis-
copal palace (SE 53 NE 2) is well established to the N of the garth,
and secondly, with the exception of New Cut (SE 53 NE 21) at the SW edge of the ditches are of dimensions too slight for a defensive function. The obviously significant name, Castle Garth, and the field evidence suggest that most of the earthworks represent the remains of a garden. This is reinforced by documentary references to the existence of a garden associated with the pre-17th century
archbishop's palace. It appears that the garth may have continued to
function as a garden with the late 17th century house of Cawood
Castle, on the evidence of 19th century kennels, surviving ornamental
trees and the remains of an orchard, or these may have been ad hoc
incursions on what became common land. Perhaps with the decline in
the importance of the manor, the garth was utilised for other
purposes; some of the works, notably the New Cut, may be a result of
industrial activity.
Of the five `fishponds' depicted on OS 1st edition within the common
land of Castle Garth, that at SE 5749 3765, previously in the NE
corner of the garth, is filled in and occupied by a woodyard, and
that in the garden of Cawood Castle at SE 5734 3762 is an ornamental
pond bearing little resemblance to a fishpond. The size, shape and
disposition of the group of three ponds, situated at SE 5742 3752
within the ditched `inner enclosure' noted by authority 2, are
arranged in parallel, and suggest a series of fishponds, about 50 m
long. One remains waterfilled, surrounded by a number of Scots pines
, the medial example is dry, about 0.9 m deep, and the third has been
almost completely filled in. Adjoining the SE of the latter are some
surviving trees of an orchard, partly enclosed by an old hedge, and
to the N are two blocks of what appear to be ridge and furrow. At the
SE edge of the garth, is a raised area surmounted by the sleeper
trench of a building, 9 m by 3 m; this is the remains of the
`Kennels' shown on OS 6" of 1851 at SE 5749 3757. There are various low inexplicable banks in the vicinity. The presence of the kennels, the Scots pines and the orchard show that the garth continued to serve an ornamental or garden function until at least the 19th century, perhaps in association with the continuing occupation of 17th century farm of Cawood Castle, or they may be ad hoc incursions onto the common. (5)
The development of Cawood village and Castle, and with it Castle
Garth is discussed fully in this report, including a copy of the
RCHME survey of 1989. The earthworks within the existing garth fall
into two main groups; the first in the S and W parts includes the
New Cut, and the second complex in the NE third of the area,
comprising a ditched enclosure containing three ponds and other earth
works, is clearly the remains of a former garden, probably 17th
century or earlier. The ponds have parallels in numerous garden
remains of the late and the immediately post-Medieval period; the
ridging, with what is identified as an axial path, is
surely an area of former tree or shrub-planting, while the destroyed
pond to the N is an additional garden feature. That there was a
garden at the archbishop's palace at Cawood is certain; the earliest
reference to a garden is about 1235, and in 1447; it was noted
specifically as adjoining the castle. (6)
SE 5738 3757. Cawood Castle (see SE 53 NE 2) and Castle Garth:residence of the medieval Archbishops of York and associated enclosure containing gardens, five fishponds and a quarry pit. Scheduled RSM No 20539. (7)
Aerial photograph 31-Oct-1992. (8)
In October 2005, the Castle Garth was re-surveyed at 1:1000 scale by English Heritage, primarily as a training exercise in support of a community-based research and conservation project. The investigation essentially confirms the findings of Sources 5 and 6, while adding a number of significant details. The survey and a brief report are available from the NMR. (9)
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