CASTLE CROFT

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DESCRIPTION

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Possible Medieval castle mound, now mostly destroyed by housing development. Earthworks consisted of an elongated oval mound 29 metres by 16 metres at the top, and 2.3 metres high above a broad terrace way which flanks the north east side. Excavations in 1952 discovered a possible robbed out building and finds including Medieval coins and pottery and post-Medieval pottery. Later prehistoric finds including flint implements were also recorded.

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(SD 61921067) Castle (NR) (site of) (NAT) (1)

Castle Croft at Blackrod, near Wigan, which dates from the 17th century (2), is traditionally the site of a castle (3). The entrance to it, and the ditch are said to have been "plainly discernible" pre-1846. A 'crown' and a large key are among items found on the site (3a). (2-3)

Earthworks in Castle Croft now consist of an elongated oval mound 29.0m by 16.0m at the top, and 2.3m high above a broad terrace way which flanks the north east side. This merges at the north end with a narrower terrace (see 25" plan). In their present form, the works do not represent an orthodox complex, but some form of castle mound seems likely. See photographs. (4)

Castle Croft consists of a double mound forming a figure 8, lying approximately north west to south east. A small excavation was made on the top of the north west mound in 1952 within the area of foundation trenches for a new bungalow. No structural remains were found although disturbance suggests the possibility that a building had been removed. Two 15th century coins, 16th to 19th or 20th century pottery, a loomweight fragment and a flint flake, scraper and heat cracked core of the Mesolithic to Bronze Age period were recovered. Further trenching located the surrounding ditch of the castle, with 14th to 15th century pottery on the rim, its position marked by a platform which interrupted the slope of the mound on the north side. All finds now in Manchester Museum, Accn No 0 8843.
The excavation suggests that Castle Croft was a defensive site in the middle ages. (5)

The major part of this site has now been destroyed by housing development. (6)

Listed by Cathcart King. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1927-38

( 2) edited by William Farrer and J Brownbill, M.A. 1908 The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster, volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1908 Page(s)553

( 3a) General reference

Hampson's Blackrod 20

( 3) edited by William Farrer and J. Brownbill 1911 The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster, volume five

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1911 Page(s)299

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JHO 12-AUG-52

( 5) Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society

(F Willett) 63 - 1952-3 Page(s)201-6

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ISS 12-NOV-75

(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

1 - 1983 Page(s)244

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