Details

The ringwork lies to the north-west of Cheney Longville and is situated on
high ground overlooking the village.
Cheney Longville ringwork comprises a ditch and bank about 1.5m high enclosing
a central area about 35m across. The interior of the ringwork is slightly
raised above the surrounding ground level and has some irregularities
suggesting the presence of buried buildings. The outer ditch is up to 3m deep
and 5m wide on the south, west and north sides but has been considerably
altered by a road on the north and north-east sides and by the building of a
cottage on the south-east side. There are entrances to the site through the
bank on the north and south sides but these are not considered to be original.
The ringwork is thought to have been constructed in the 11th or early 12th
century and it may have been replaced by the moated castle site which lies
150m to the south-west. All outbuildings on the site are excluded from the
scheduling but the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

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.

Cheney Longville ringwork is essentially undisturbed and will retain
archaeological evidence of both its defences and the internal structures
within.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Salter, M, Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire, (1988)

Source: Historic England