CASTLE HILL

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A medieval mound is visible as an earthwork on air photographs, within the grounds of Dallam Park (UID 1071159). The feature appears to be extant on the latest 1991 Ordnance Survey vertical photography, albeit under some tree cover. Earthwork remains of a flat-topped mound, irregular in plan, partly levelled during the 18th century. It is in a good defensive position on a prominent hilltop known as Castle Hill. It is an irregular oval in plan, The top of the mound contains an an earth and stone bank around its eastern, southern and western edges. During levelling, quantities of bone, metal and wall foundations were discovered. A section on the south side in 1965 showed a ditch outside the bank with stone revetting on the outer face of the bank, and a post hole. No finds were recovered. Though no documentary evidence relating to the construction of the ringwork is known, it is thought to be a precursor to the 14th century Dallam Tower which lies a short distance to the north west.

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[SD 49378082] Castle Hill:- a mound of irregular, semi-circular form, 350 yds SE of Dallam Tower. ? Site of Medieval building. [See Illustrations Card]. (1-2)

The Dallam Park earthwork is in a good defensive position on the highest point of an esker. It is an irregular oval in plan, with bank best preserved on the south and very weak on the North. The site was levelled in the 18th Century, when quantities of bone and metal and wall foundations were found, and was probably planted with trees at that time. A section on the south side in 1965 showed a ditch outside the bank, stone revetting on the outer face of the bank, and a post-hole 9" square, in the interior about 10' from the bank. No artifacts were recovered, but there was a considerable quantity of charcoal at the ditch bottom.
The work is probably a small fort, of any period from 5th Century (or earlier) to 11th Century; it is unlikely to be the site of a medieval building (as suggested by the RCHM) because the medieval sites in the area are reasonably documented and established elsewhere. (3)

The flat-topped, defensively situated mound is correctly described auth. 2. Surveyed at 1/2500. Other features shown on A.O. 2215 are old field boundaries with scarps formed lynchet fashion on the downhill sides. Hollows are amorphous and of no interest; no building sites were noted. (4)

SD 493808 Earthwork in Dallam Park; scheduled. (5)

SD 49368081. Medieval ringwork in Dallam Park, thought to be a precursor to the 14th century Dallam Tower. Scheduled. (6)

A medieval mound is visible as an earthwork on air photographs, within the grounds of Dallam Park (UID 1071159) at SD 4936 8081. Medieval/post medieval ridge and furrow (UID 1002729) appears to respect the extent of the mound. The feature appears to be extant on the latest 1991 Ordnance Survey vertical photography, albeit under some tree cover.
(7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1a) General reference

D Nicholson & Burn 1 p227

( 1b) General reference

Curwen. Castles (273)

( 1c) Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England 1936 An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland

Page(s)104

( 1d) Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society

26 (1926) Page(s)30

( 1) Annotated Record Map

Corr 6" (R A C Lowndes 28.5.60)

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

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

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 FRH 29-AUG-67

( 5) English Heritage 1995 County list of Scheduled Monuments : March 1994

Page(s)37

(6) Scheduled Monument Notification

03-SEP-2004

(7) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR OS/82034 0036 17-APR-1982

RELATED MONUMENTS

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Monument Name/No

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MONUMENT NO. 1002729
BEETHAM

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A series of medieval/post medieval lynchets and field boundaries are visible as earthworks within the grounds of Dallam Park (UID 1071159). In additio...

DALLAM PARK
BEETHAM

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Deer park and gardens to Dallam Tower. Formal gardens were documented at Dallam in 1614 but had been replaced by the 19th century with the present lay...

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