COTHERSTONE CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Earthwork remains of motte with possible bailey, probably founded circa 1090 and licenced in 1201. There are also the remains of a two-winged building which is thought to be a hall of later date. The remains consist of the castle mound, average height 3.4 metres and one fragment of masonry footing 9 metres long. A series of terraces have been constructed across what was probably the bailey. As well as the 'two winged building' there are remains of a formal garden and fishponds. Scheduled.

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(NZ 0133 1997) Cotherstone Castle (NR) (Remains of) (NAT) (1)

Cotherstone Castle, a motte castle without bailey, was apparently founded circa 1090 AD. In 1200-1 AD Henry Fitz-Hervey replaced the timber defences by masonry and was licenced to crenellate. (2-2a)

Whellan, who says the castle was destroyed by the Scots, describes the remains as being a piece of wall circa 4 ft thick, 8 or 10 ft high and 10 or 12 ft long, and mentions a font and other remains found "in the Chapel-garth adjoining". (3)

The remains consist of the castle mound, average height 3.4 m and one fragment of masonry footing 9 m long. The mound has no circumscribing ditch, and there is no orthodox bailey, but an irregular natural scarp extending westwards from the base of the mound on the north side forms a small plateau which may well have originally served as one. It is now artificially terraced away from the apparent site of a large `two-winged' building, which stood at the base of the mound, towards a probable fishpond on the edge of the area. This complex seems likely to be associated with a later `hall'. Deeds dating from the mid-17th century have established the name `Hallgarth' for the particular field, but no reference is made to `remains' other than those of the castle. (4)

Resurveyed at 1:2500. Air photographic evidence. (a) (5)

Existing survey revised by RCHME during a project on scheduled monuments in County Durham.

The site is generally as described by Authority 4. A series of terraces have been constructed across what was probably the bailey downslope from the foundations of the `two-winged' building, and these may have formed part of a formal garden associated with this building. The previously mentioned fishpond, if it is such, is of interest in having a stone-lined well located roughly in its centre. In the field to the south of the motte lie the abraded remains of a field system, and in the NE corner of this field lie a group of scarps, levelled areas and a platform (all of which stand no more than 1.2 m high), which may relate to the presence of a former settlement complex. (6)

Listed by Cathcart King. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" map 1960

( 2) The Yorkshire archaeological journal

W M I Anson 22, 1913 Page(s)341-3

( 2a) General reference

Cal Rot Chart (Rec Com)

( 3) General reference

York & The North Riding 2 1859 (T Whellan et al)

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 RE/23-JUN-1972/OS Archaeology Division Field Investigator

(5) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 5a) Aerial photograph

RAF 106G/UK 1700 27.8.46 2144-45

(6) Field Investigators Comments

Peter Topping/16-SEP-1991/RCHME: Durham SAMs Project

(7) David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II : Norfolk-Yorkshire and the islands

2 - 1983 Page(s)516

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