KNOCKIN CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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A motte and bailey castle, situated immediately east of St Mary's Church. The castle was founded by Guy le Strange between 1154 and 1160, and remained the principal holding of the family for most of the Middle Ages. It was described as 'ruinous' in 1540. The steep-sided, rectangular motte measures approximately 60 metres by 70 metres at its base, 46 metres by 54 metres across the top, and stands up to 4 metres high. Quarrying has affected the southern half of the motte and a modern mound has been added to the top. The ditch surrounding the motte has been largely infilled. The bailey is L-shaped and around 0.6 hectares in area. It lies east and north of the motte and is defined by a series of scarps between 0.4 and 1.2 metres high. The northern side of the bailey is bounded by a ditch between 11 metres and 14 metres wide, and by an outer bank approximately 8 metres wide and 0.4 metres high. The remains of a 5 metre wide, stone-built causeway lie on the eastern side of the motte. This was built of dressed red sandstone, stands 1.5 metres high, and dates to the medieval period. The eastern part of the bailey is now occupied by an early 20th century house and its associated outbuildings and garden. Landscaping of this area is believed to have damaged the underlying archaeology (this part of the site is not scheduled). Scheduled.

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(SJ 33452232) Castle (NR) (site of) (NAT) (1)

Knockin Castle was founded by Guy le Strange in the reign of Henry II. It is first mentioned in 1165 and appears in records up to 1322. It was in ruins by Leland's time (1535-43). (2)

Noted as Motte and Bailey with fragments of rubble walling on south side of bailey (3)

The large oblong motte is 19 feet on the north where there is a ditch five feet deep. The semicircular bailey lies to the east and is bounded only by a scarp, to the south of which is a fragment of curtain wall, the only remaining piece of masonry. A bank at the south-east angle of the summit of the motte is modern. (4-5)

A large bailey enclosed the church, a second one enclosed the village and an earthwork beyond the motte guarded the manorial mill. (6)

Earthworks visible. (7)

The motte is tree-covered and the bailey, lying to the north and east, encloses an area of 1.4 acres. No masonry remains. The stream on the west side of the motte is a leat, but the location of the mill is not apparent. There is no evidence of a bailey enclosing the church. Published survey 25" revised. (8)

Knockin Castle is situated between two streams, just above their confluence. It is thickly overgrown with trees and bushes and reduced to earthwork remains only. The motte has base measurements of 72.0m. north-south, by 60.0m. transversely, a height of 4.5m., and a summit area measuring 55.0m. by 45.0m. It has been dug away on the east side, and considerably dug into over the southern half of the summit.
A large bank of spoil is heaped around the south-east corner. The remains of a ditch, 10.0m. to 15.0m. wide on the north and east sides, separate a crescent-shaped bailey from the motte. The bailey, bounded by a scarp 1.0m. high, measures 150.0m. north- west to south-east by 80.0. north to south. The southern half has lately been reduced by garden landscape work which presumably destroyed the last vestiges of masonry. As stated by authority 8 there is no ground evidence to support the contentions of authority 6.
1:2500 M.S.D. revised. (9)

SJ 334 223. Knockin Castle. Scheduled. (10)

A motte and bailey castle, situated immediately east of St. Mary's Church. The castle was founded by Guy le Strange between 1154 and 1160, and remained the principal holding of the family for most of the Middle Ages. It was described as 'ruinous' in 1540. The steep-sided, rectangular motte measures approximately 60 metres by 70 metres at its base, 46 metres by 54 metres across the top, and stands up to 4 metres high. Quarrying has affected the southern half of the motte and a modern mound has been added to the top. The ditch surrounding the motte has been largely infilled. The bailey is L-shaped and around 0.6 hectares in area. It lies east and north of the motte and is defined by a series of scarps between 0.4 and 1.2 metres high. The northern side of the bailey is bounded by a ditch between 11 metres and 14 metres wide, and by an outer bank approximately 8 metres wide and 0.4 metres high. The remains of a 5 metre wide, stone-built causeway lie on the eastern side of the motte. This was built of dressed red sandstone, stands 1.5 metres high, and dates to the medieval period. The eastern part of the bailey is now occupied by an early 20th century house and its associated outbuildings and garden. Landscaping of this area is believed to have damaged the underlying archaeology (this part of the site is not scheduled). Scheduled. (11)

Knockin. Built in mid 12th century, mentioned in 1165 and in 1322. (12)

The motte and bailey fall within the area mapped from aerial photographs by RCHME's Marches Uplands Mapping Project, but the features were not recorded by that survey. No further information about the motte and bailey could be obtained from aerial photographic evidence because details of the site have been obscured by vegetation and development. (13)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1954

( 2) Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society

R.W. Eyton 10 Page(s)20-1

( 3) by Derek Renn 1973 Norman castles in Britain

Page(s)220

( 4) by John Leland; edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith 1964 The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543

Page(s)14

( 5) edited by William Page 1908 The Victoria history of Shropshire: volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Plan (Wall and Downman) Page(s)396

( 6) Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society

56 Page(s)3

( 7) RCHME/EH Aerial Photographers Comment

APs (RAF 541/214 3223-4, 8.12.48)

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F1 MHB 30-DEC-71

( 9) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ASP 12-OCT-79

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

Shropshire Page(s)7

(11) Scheduled Monument Notification

EH Scheduled Monument Revision, 18-JUL-2000

(12) 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 Page(s)426

(13) RCHME/EH Aerial Photographers Comment

RCHME: Marches Uplands Mapping Project

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