Damery Old Castle, Alkington

Has been described as a Possible Timber Castle (Ringwork)

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameDamery Old Castle, Alkington
Alternative Names
Historic CountryGloucestershire
Modern AuthorityGloucestershire
1974 AuthorityGloucestershire
Civil ParishAlkington

An irregular oval camp, 160 yards by 40 yards across, consisting of a single ditch. No internal rampart exists, the spoil from the ditch having been thrown outwards (Playne). It is named 'Old Castle' on the OS 1" 1830 but 'Damery Camp' by Witts and Burrow (Burrow; Witts).

Probably a mediaeval earthwork. A mediaeval schist hone found here c 1950 is in Bristol City Museum (Verey).

A mediaeval defensive enclosure of "ringwork" type dominating what was probably an important road/river crossing. The entrance was probably at the east end, although both the west and east ends have been overlaid and mutilated by an enclosure and a garden respectively.

Disturbed ground to the N of the site at ST 70799446 probably represents later settlement (Field Investigators Comments F1 MJF 08-FEB-71).

The defensive ringwork is centred at ST 7075 9440, and measures approximately 155m south-west to north-east, and 92m south-west to north-east. Only the north-eastern side of the ringwork is visible on aerial photographs; and shows clearly on vertical aerial photographs of 1992 as a wide ditch and outer bank. The southern side is obscured by woodland; the western end by vegetation; and the eastern end by the gardens and boundaries of two properties (NMR OS/92064 094-095 13-MAY-1992). (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

This is as area of dispersed medieval settlement. The location, by a crossing of the Little Avon river, with a small hamlet could well be that of a small manor held for a knight's fee, probably as a sub-tenancy of Berkeley.

- 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 ReferenceST707944
Latitude51.6476287841797
Longitude-2.42412996292114
Eastings370750
Northings194400
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Verey, David, 1976, Buildings of England: Gloucestershire: the Vale and the Forest of Dean p. 82
  • Burrow, E.J., 1919, Ancient Entrenchments and Camps of Gloucestershire (E.J. Burrow and Co) p. 74
  • Witts, G.B., 1883, Archaeological Handbook of the County of Gloucester (Cheltenham) p. 17 no. 35

Journals

  • Playne G. F., 1871-76, Cotteswold Naturalists Field Club Proceedings Vol. 6 p. 228