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CASTLE HILL

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Medieval motte and bailey castle surviving as an earthwork. The Castle was built in the late C11th century by Hugh de Grantmesnil and was destroyed in 1172. Excavations in 1962-3 showed the motte was built around an existing stone structure of unknown function, possibly a tower. Fishponds to north destroyed by road by-pass. The oval castle motte is 5 to 6 metres high with a flattish top and measures 38 metres east to west and 25 metres north to south. To the east is a flat bailey area extending for 20 metres and enclosed by a ditch surviving for a length of 35 metres and 15 metres wide and 2 metres deep. On its outer east side it has a slight bank 1 metre high. Scheduled.

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(SK 5239 0764) Castle (GT) (Site of) Moat (GT) (1)

At the back of Groby Hall (SK 50 NW 2) is the castle mound and a few adjoining ditches of Groby Castle, destroyed by Henry II after the feudal revolt, 1173.The mound is, at its highest point 22 feet high. An inclined plane descending southwards from the eastern side is probably an original entrance. The plan of the bailey is lost but a portion of a double ditch and bank remains on the north side. There are other entrenchments to the north-east which appear to belong to later, manorial, defences (See SK 50 NW 88). (2-4)

The moat is either connected with the manor house or the castle and there are some probable fishponds to the north. (5)

A well preserved motte which has, on its N and NE sides, portions of two dry ditches, the inner one probably representing the remains of a surrounding moat, and the outer ditch probably represents the moat which surrounded the later manor house (See SK 50 NW 2). The inclined plane is indicated by slopes shown on the SE side of the motte.
Some banks and depressions at SK 5245 0775 are, as suggested above, probably the remains of manorial fishponds connected with either the castle or the manor house. (6)

Excavations, in 1962 and 1963, by B Davidson (for MPBW) on the defences of the castle threatened by road improvements, revealed a large quarry-ditch 50 ft wide, partly filled by debris from the motte. The visible defences of the bailey represent a later reorganisation to include the remains of the slighted motte. A pile of stones on the summit of the motte had been thrown up around an earlier standing building, which was preserved to a height of 16ft. (7)

The motte and a portion of the terraced bailey to the Southeast now remain in fair condition; extensive road construction to the
northeast of the motte has erased all evidence of the former outer works - supposed former fishponds.
Survey 25" March 1971 correct (Plan not yet re-published). (8)

The excavations carried out by B K Davidson in 1962 did in fact show that the motte was built around a pre-existing stone structure which was described as a stone tower. (9)

This site was mapped from air photographs as part of RCHME's National Forest Project. It was seen as the following:-

Earthwork motte of Medieval date, seen as one large (15-50m) round positive feature.Centred at:-SK 5239 0764
Mapped from AP's.
(Morph No. FR.239.1.1)

Earthwork bailey of Medieval date, seen as a single linear feature defined by 2 ditches, 1 bank, max. length 120m.
Centred at:-SK 5242 0766
Mapped from AP's.
(Morph No. FR.239.1.2)
(10)

SK 5239 0761. Motte and bailey castle and manorial complex at Groby. The oval castle motte is 5-6m high with flattish top and measures 38m east-west and 25m north-south. To the east is a flat bailey area extending for 20m and enclosed by a ditch surviving for a length of 35m and 15m wide and 2m deep. On its outer east side it has a slight bank 1m high. The exact nature and function of the early building found in the motte during excavations is not fully understood. The castle was built by Hugh de Grantmesnil in the late 11th century. It was besieged and eventually destroyed in 1176. For subsequent re-use of the site as a medieval manorial complex (see SK 50 NW 88). Scheduled (RSM) No 17066. (11)

Listed by Cathcart King. (12)

Analysis of the castle in relation to its Mediaeval landscpe, the church, manor etc. (13)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1930

(2) Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

15 - 1927 Page(s)196-201

(3) Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

9 - 1904 Page(s)118-9

(4) edited by William Page 1907 The Victoria history of the county of Leicester, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1907 Page(s)259

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

(6) Field Investigators Comments

R B L Work/23-JUN-1953/Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator

(7) Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology

(G Hurst) 8 - 1964 Page(s)255

(8) Field Investigators Comments

F D C Colquhoun/23-FEB-1972/Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator

(9) Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

(McWhirr A & Winter M) 54 - 1978-9 Page(s)74

(10) RCHME/EH Aerial Photographers Comment

David MacLeod/02-AUG-1993/RCHME: National Forest Project

(11) Scheduled Monument Notification

English Heritage SAM Amendment Leicestershire 03-JUL-1992

(12) 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

Page(s)253

(13) Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

Creighton O 71, 1997 Page(s)21-36

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