Ancient Monuments

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Castle Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Pennington, Cumbria

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.1901 / 54°11'24"N

Longitude: -3.139 / 3°8'20"W

OS Eastings: 325773.510311

OS Northings: 477749.231009

OS Grid: SD257777

Mapcode National: GBR 6MJZ.6Q

Mapcode Global: WH724.RYD5

Entry Name: Castle Hill

Scheduled Date: 4 December 1924

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1007127

English Heritage Legacy ID: CU 362

County: Cumbria

Civil Parish: Pennington

Traditional County: Lancashire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cumbria

Church of England Parish: Pennington St Michael and the Holy Angels

Church of England Diocese: Carlisle

Summary

Castle Hill.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 24 March 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes the remains of a medieval earthwork castle in the form of a ringwork, situated next to Pennington Beck with commanding views of the Pennington Beck valley. The ringwork enclosure is sub-rectangular and is protected by a semi-circular rampart, a partial ditch on the north east, east and south sides and a steep natural slope on its north west and south west sides. The earthworks measure nearly 40m east-west, the rampart is about 3m high at its north end and 1m at its south west end.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements. They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60 with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular significance to our understanding of the period.

Castle Hill medieval ringwork is representative of its period and is reasonably well-preserved as an earthwork. The monument will contain archaeological deposits relating to its construction, use and abandonment and provides insight into the character of medieval fortifications.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 37766

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

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