Information for record number MWA241:
Hartshill Castle, Phase I

Summary The remains of a motte and bailey castle, which was the predecessor of the later Medieval Hartshill castle. The motte is still visible as an earthwork and is situated to the east of Hartshill Hayes Country Park.
What Is It?  
Type: Motte And Bailey
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Hartshill
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 32 94
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Stands in a commanding position. Fortified at the time of Henry I (1100-35) as a motte and bailey by Hugh de Harndreshull. Only the earthworks remain of the early castle (PRN 240) together with practically the whole of the E wall and a portion of the S wall of a contemporary stone-built chapel. Associated with later remains (PRN 239).
2 Mentioned in TBAS.
3 Mentions a moated mound and a still higher mound to the N with no comment as to its date nor reference to a Norman motte and bailey. The chapel is associated with the 13th century curtain wall.
4 Ancient Monument Description.
5 Scheduled Ancient Monument Description.
6 OS Card.
7 Included in Warwickshire Monument Evaluation and Presentation Project in 1987.
8 The motte standing at the northern end of the site is mostly artificial. It has a diameter of 50m across its base and is surrounded by a ditch 8m wide. The ditch has been mostly filled in but remains as a shallow depression around the circumference of the motte. A slight outer bank is visible at the western and northern edges of the motte. The southern ditch is now in use as a public footpath and its original depth is uncertain. Modern waste dumping has obscured the outer side of the eastern ditch. The motte is flat topped and there is a slight depression at its centre.
9 Brief survey by RCHME in 1997 recommends more detailed survey of the monument.
10 Shown on Plan.
11 Brief piece on the management issues at the castle appeared in the IFA's magazine in 2006.
12 A photographic survey focussing on masonry elements of the castle was undertaken in October 2014. The survey includes archive photos from 2002 and documents unauthorised repairs, which had been carried out to the castle, chapel and a 16th century house, in the intervening 12 years.
 
Sources

Source No: 11
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Hartshill Castle and an issue of trust
Author/originator: M Wilson
Date: 2006
Page Number: 24-25
Volume/Sheet: 60
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Monuments Evaluation and Presentation Project
Author/originator: Baker H D
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Field Survey Form
   
Source No:
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Hartshill Castle, Hartshill, Warwickshire: Stonework Photographic Survey
Author/originator: Catherine Coutts
Date: 2015
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: A field investigation and survey at Hartshill Hayes
Author/originator: Brown, G
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Plan
Title: A field investigation and survey at Hartshill Hayes
Author/originator: Brown, G
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NE1
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1967
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NE1
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 67
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 67
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 53
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1928
Page Number: 209-10
Volume/Sheet: 53
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list 1985
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Hartshill Castle
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Hartshill Castle
Author/originator: DoE/Ministry of Works
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
back
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
source SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
back
period Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
more ->
back
period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
more ->
back
period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
more ->
back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument MAGAZINE * A building in which a supply of arms, ammunition and provisions for an army is stored. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument MOTTE AND BAILEY * An early form of castle consisting of a flat-top steep-sided earthen mound, supporting a wooden tower, and a bailey. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known. back
monument COUNTRY PARK * An area of managed countryside designated for visitors to enjoy recreations, such as walking specified parks and trails, in a rural environment. Often provides public facilities such as parking, toilets, cafes and visitor information. back
monument FOOTPATH * A path for pedestrians only. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CURTAIN WALL * A wall between two towers or pavilions, usually surrounding a building, and often forming a major part of the defences. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument MOTTE * An artificial steep-sided earthen mound on, or in, which is set the principal tower of a castle. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record