Hardwick Mount

Description

The motte and bailey castle 140m WSW of Hardwick Hall survives well and is a good example of its class. It will retain archaeological information relating to its date, construction and to the character of its occupation, both in the area of the motte and of the bailey. Environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which the castle was constructed will survive sealed beneath the motte and in the lower levels of the ditch fill. Such motte and bailey castles contribute valuable information concerning the settlement pattern, economy, social organisation and in the case of Hardwick motte and bailey, the control of communications in this area of upland during the medieval period.
The monument includes the remains of a motte and bailey castle situated in the settlement called Hardwick immediately below the crest of a low north west to south east ridge of high ground on the west bank of the East Onny River. The motte and bailey is positioned at the southern end of the river valley to control the natural north to south valley routeway between the Long Mynd hills to the east and Linley Hill/Stiperstones range to the west. It includes a substantial castle mound, or motte, with a bailey to the north west. The motte is circular in plan with a base diameter of 27m and standing up to 3m high. The summit of the motte is flat and has a diameter of 16m. The remains of a surrounding ditch, from which material would have been quarried for the construction of the motte, are visible around the north west quarter of the motte as a shallow depression up to 5m wide and 0.4m deep with traces of an outer, counter scarp bank 0.1m high. Although it is no longer visible as a surface feature around the remaining sides of the motte, the ditch will survive here also as a buried feature of similar proportions. The bailey to the north west was designed to provide protection for the domestic buildings associated with the castle. It is now represented by a length of low scarp averaging 0.6m high which curves approximately ENE to WNW. The scarp appears to represent the north west end of the bailey, the projected curve of the scarp indicating that the bailey originally had an internal area approximately 24m north west to south east by 40m transversely. Typically such a bailey would have had an outer protective ditch, which is believed to survive here as a buried feature with an estimated width of 4m. (Scheduling Report)

Comments

Appears to have been held by service of castle guard at Bishops Castle.