Kinderton Hall

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Motte)

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameKinderton Hall
Alternative Names
Historic CountryCheshire
Modern AuthorityCheshire
1974 AuthorityCheshire
Civil ParishMiddlewich

Medieval moat surviving as earthwork and site of Old Kinderton Hall demolished in C18. Alleged site of castle at Domesday. The moated island is slightly trapezoidal from 40 to 50m east to west by 50m north to south. Fishponds are visible. Formal garden earthworks are present. Rejected by King as garden mound and moat.

'The antient hall of Kinderton stood near the banks of the Dane, at the distance of two fields breadth from the site of the Roman works of (the supposed) Condate, which probably suggested a position for the Norman head of this barony. A part only of the moat is remaining, but it formerly inclosed a parallelogram of several acres, in the south-west angle of which is a large circular mound, which was most probably raised to support the keep tower.' (Ormerod)

The earthworks mentioned by Ormerod and Mackenzie are not the remains of a castle, but comprise a medieval moat (SJ 76 NW 6) and a prospect mound within a post medieval formal garden (SJ 76 NW 23). Contrary to Mackenzie, Domesday does not mention a castle at Kinderton. The confusion seems to have been caused by Kinderton's status as the head of a barony with the consequent expectation that there should be a baronial castle here. Although such a castle may once have existed, there is no surface trace of it in the vicinity of Kinderton Hall. (PastScape–Field Investigators Comments–Paul Everson/10-SEP-1986/RCHME)

Gatehouse Comments

This may well have been the site of a DMV and the development of Kinderton Hall, its gardens and the expansion of Middlewich make reading the medieval landscape impossible. There were significant river crossings here and the expectation of this being a castle site is not unreasonable, but without significant evidence the site must be questionable.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSJ708670
Latitude53.199390411377
Longitude-2.43929004669189
Eastings370800
Northings367020
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 69 (reject)
  • Dodgson, J.McN., 1970, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Part 2 (English Place-Name Society 45) p. 236-7
  • Ridgway, Maurice Hill, 1958, 'Medieval Castles' in Sylvester, D. and Nulty, G. (eds), The Historical Atlas of Cheshire (Cheshire Community Council) p. 24-5
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 175 online copy
  • Ormerod, G., 1882 (2edn), History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol. 3 p. 201
  • 1860, History, Gazeteer and Directory of Cheshire (White, F. and Co) p. 510
  • Gastrell, F., 1845, Notita Cestriensis Vol. 1 p. 249
  • Ormerod, G., 1819, History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol. 3 p. 108 (tenurial history) online copy

Antiquarian

Other

  • Vale Royal Borough Council: Ancient Monument No 13492 online copy