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Bishopton Castle Hill

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Castle Holl; Biscoptun

In the civil parish of Bishopton.
In the historic county of Durham.
Modern Authority of Darlington.
1974 county of County Durham.
Medieval County of County Palatinate of Durham.

OS Map Grid Reference: NZ36662089
Latitude 54.58189° Longitude -1.43430°

Bishopton Castle Hill has been described as a certain Timber Castle.

There are earthwork remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

Description

The motte and bailey castle at Bishopton survives in an exceptional state of preservation. Additionally, it is a complex monument which retains valuable information about its origin and development. It will greatly add to our knowledge and understanding of the Norman Conquest of northern Britain. The monument includes an exceptionally well preserved Norman motte and bailey castle situated on low lying land beside the Bishopton Beck. The motte is conical in shape with a near circular top; it stands to a height of 11.5m and measures 55m across at the base and is surrounded by a moat 10 to 15m wide and 1.4 to 3.5m deep. Immediately to the north west of the motte there is a bailey which measures 80m north east to south west by 40m north west to south east. Its north west side is bounded by a ditch 16m across and 2.7m deep, its north east side by a bank 0.4m wide and 0.4m high and its south west side is bounded by a trivallate earthwork 25m across. The western boundary of the site consists of a double ditch system which runs parallel with the Bishopton Beck. Within the eastern part of the bailey there are the remains of a rectangular building measuring 28m by 9.5m, and the remains of a second building abutting the northern wall of the bailey. The motte and the bailey is surrounded on the east by a substantial moat, crossed by two raised causeways 1.3m high; the moat is up to 70m wide and is 1.5m deep and was fed with water, by a series of artificial channels, from the Bishopton Beck. Little is known of the history of the monument but a reference in AD 1143 referring to the fortification of a castle by Roger Conyers may refer to Bishopton. It is not known if there was a previous castle on the site. (Scheduling Report)

It has been incorrectly suggested that a Durham Palatinate licence to crenellate was granted in 1143 (Click on the date for details of this supposed licence.).

Comments

The Round Mound Project coring of the motte in 2015 dated it to mid/late C11 to C13.
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
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This record last updated 15/08/2017 15:56:47

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