QUEEN ELEANORS BOWER

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DESCRIPTION

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The remains of a ringwork known as Queen Eleanor's Bower, located on a knoll near the foot of the south western side of Haughmond Hill. The knoll seems to have been artificially steepened to create a conical mound. The top of the ringwork is triangular in shape and a stony bank runs around its edge.

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12J 5368 1364] Queen Eleanor's Bower [TI]. (1)

A steep sided fir-crowned knoll known as Queen Eleanor's Bower forming a small plateau, diameter 40 yds, and circumference 119 yds, in a strong position surrounded by rapidly falling ground, while the gap that separates the knoll from the side of the adjacent hill has probably been artificially deepened.

The plateau is defended by a low earth and stone rampart built of material obtained close by and three varieties of small lumps and flat blocks of extraneous stone, namely two kinds of red sandstone and a cream coloured sandstone. The SW side of the rampart has been burnt to a brick red colour and actually fused in places. On the western slope of the knoll outside the rampart are signs of terracing.No finds from the site: date and purpose unknown. (2)

The feature is as described by Cantrill except that no trace of
fusing was found and the so called terracing is vague and doubtful. The knoll was apparently formed by landslide from the higher ground adjoining its east side.

The form of the earthwork is that of a motte but as it is overlooked by adjoining high ground such a classification is doubtful.
Surveyed at 1/2500. (3)

A defensive earthwork occupies the summit of Queen Eleanor's Bower, a natural knoll on the south-west slopes of Haughmond Hill, from which it is separated by steep-sided ravines.

The summit of the knoll is three-sided and measures some 30.0m along each side. It is enclosed with a bank built largely of stone, 5.0m in width, 0.7m in height internally with no evidence of "fusing". The slopes on the south-east have been scarped and are about 7.5m high from the foot of the ravine on that side. Natural slopes fall for some 30.0m or 40.0m on the south and west, and where they are less steep on the north-west, have been interrupted by the construction of a terrace, 3.0m wide, with steep scarped slopes above, 2.6m in height, immediately below the bank.

On the north-east, a rock-cut ditch, 7.0m in width, and 2.0m in
depth, externally, has been cut across the low narrow ridge which connects the knoll with the ground rising to the hilltop between the ravines.

Although triangular in plan and neither truly motte nor ringwork the concept is more Medieval than prehistoric. For an Iron Age fort on the ridge above see SJ 51 SW 7.

MSD revised. (4)

SJ 536 136: Queen Eleanor's Bower (camp) Scheduled. (5)(6)

SJ 53661363. Medieval ringwork. Scheduled. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1954.

( 2) Transactions of the Caradoc and Severn Valley Field Club

Trans Caradoc & S.V.F.C. Vol. 6 (1913-20), pp 136-42 Illus (T.C.Cantrill) 6 Page(s)136-142

( 3) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JR 28-JAN-64

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ASP 30-APR-80

( 5) English Heritage 1987 County list of Scheduled Ancient Monuments : December 1987

Eng Heritage SAMs Salop 31-DEC-87 14 Page(s)14

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

English Heritage SAM List Salop March 1994 14 Page(s)14

(7) Scheduled Monument Notification

22-JUN-2004

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