THE MOUNT

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

MOTE HILL, MOAT HILL

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DESCRIPTION

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The Mount, Mote Or Moat Hill: Motte and bailey castle . This was the largest Motte and Bailey in Lancashire. Earlier accounts indicate that the mound was oval, 162 feet north west to south east by 129 feet north east to south west, and 9 feet high, with a flat top, 90 feet in diameter. A ditch, partly water filled, once surrounded the motte. The bailey was formed by a ditch, averaging 6 feet deep in 1908. The mound was excavated in 1832 when a pit, a well and various finds including a horse shoe, a knife, a quern, nails and Roman pottery was found. There is evidence for reuse during the civil war, when in 1643 the parliamentarians besieging the town used the motte as a canon platform. There are no extant remains of the motte and bailey. The site is occupied by a public park and waste ground marking the area where a school once stood.

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[Name centred SJ 6161 8848] Site of THE MOUNT [AT] [SJ
6162 8851 THE MOUNT [GT] (1-2)

The Mount, also known as the Mote or Moat Hill, Warrington, was the largest motte and bailey castle in Lancashire. (a) It was placed on a slight eminence, raised about thirty feet above sea-level and approx. 250 yards from the north bank of the Mersey. It commanded the ancient ford and routes to it - see SJ 68 NW 43 for this ford. There is little doubt that the castle was the residence of the manorial lords of Warrington until their removal to Bewsey Hall - see SJ 58 NE 1 for this moated manor-house. The castle is mentioned as such in 1228, when William Pincerna was granted timber for its repair (b) but by about 1587 it is referred to as the ".. scyte of the manor ... decayed and no byldings thereupon..." (d)

Thereafter, there are few literary references to the history of the site until the 18/19th c. when it is variously described as a 'tumulus' or 'Roman botontinus'. (e)

The only authoritative description of the site is that given in the VCH for 1908 (a) when there were few remains of the earthworks - only the northern part of the motte mound and ditch and a vague outline of the ditch of the bailey on the northeast of the motte. Earlier accounts indicate that the mound was oval, 162 feet NW-SE and 129 feet NE-SE, and 9 feet high, with a flat top, 90 feet in diameter. A ditch, partly water filled, once surrounded the motte. The bailey was formed by a ditch, averaging 6 feet deep in 1908, but as late as 1819 there had been traces of a substantial rampart-bank. The mound was excavated in 1832. On its top was a circular depression,c.1. foot deep, filled with carbonized reeds, straw and brushwood mixed with bones and decayed animal refuse. A pit of concial form contained ashes and burnt bones. Some distance from this fireplace, a well was found, lined with wood, and filled with earth. In the Stratum of animal and vegetable matter at the bottom, were found early Md. potsherds, part of a horse-shoe, a curved knife-blade said to be Saxon, a fragment of a quern, iron nails, a bronze fibula described as Saxon, Roman amphora sherds, an earthenware button, fused lead and two crude chess pieces of jet. These latter have attracted a great number of literary references and have been variously described to the 9th, 10th and 12th c., (f, g and h) but there is not much evidence for a pre-Norman dating (c).

Above the hollow was a layer of vegetable soil, with boulder-stones forming a rough pavement on it. A silver penny of Henry III was associated with this pavement. Above the stones was a layer of clay, earth and sand, three feet thick containing a number of 17th c. military and other relics. Tradition has always said that the mound was raised higher by the parliamentarians besieging the town in 1643 to place a cannon on it, and these finds confirm it. No evidence to suggest that stone walling replaced the original wooden palisading was found. Several massive timber beams and a few squared stones were found in the mound but their original position is not recorded. In 1841 the site was partly levelled in erecting school-buildings and was further mutilated in 1851 when the school was enlarged. The school was removed in 1905. See AO/55/115/7 for a plan of the site in c.1908.

There are no extant remains of the motte and bailey. The site is occupied by a public park and waste ground marking the area where the Clergy Orphan's School formerly stood.

A small, modern mound, with stone walling around the base, was erected at SJ 6162 8851 to mark the site of the motte, by Warrington Corporation. The finds made in 1832 are stored in Warrington Museum with the exception of the 'curved knife-blade': Accn. Nos. 1559-85 and 832-3. A copper boss was found in 1929 in making tennis courts here: Accn. No: 80/320. (4)

SJ 616884. An exploratory excavation to the east of St. Elpphin's church, revealed that the motte, composed of sand within a retaining wall of turf backed with clay had been destroyed to within one foot of the original peat ground surface. The ditches, 110ft. wide, had been retained by timber piling. The wet conditions, the 19th century destruction and the overlying build-up rendered the excavations unsatisfactory in terms of finds and structures. (5)

(SJ 6162 8850) Castle (NR) (site of) NAT (6)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 1:500 1890

( 2) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1849

( 3a) 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)539

( 3b) edited by William Farrer and J Brownbill, M.A. 1907 The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster, volume three

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1907 Page(s)305

( 3c) edited by William Farrer and J Brownbill 1906 The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1906 Page(s)262

( 3d) General reference

Transactions of the Chetham Society, Vol. 86 1882 p.67 ff (W. Beamont)

( 3e) General reference

Roman Lancashire, 1883, p.224 (W.T. Watkin)

( 3f) Journal of the British Archaeological Association

8 - 1853 Page(s)162

( 3g) Royal Archaeological Institute The archaeological journal

9 - 1852 Page(s)304

( 3h) Royal Archaeological Institute The archaeological journal

13 - 1856 Page(s)180-1

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

( 4i) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 RWE 21-OCT-60

( 5) Department of the Environment Archaeological excavations

(D H Hill) 1972 Page(s)90

( 6) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 1:10000 1976

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