Downton on the Rock; The Tump

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Motte), and also as a Certain Masonry Castle

There are masonry footings remains

NameDownton on the Rock; The Tump
Alternative NamesCastle Mount
Historic CountryHerefordshire
Modern AuthorityHerefordshire
1974 AuthorityHereford and Worcester
Civil ParishDownton

A small motte castle situated on rising ground on the west bank of the River Teme. It is visible as an earth and stone rubble mound 23m in diameter at base rising 3.5m to a summit 12m in diameter slightly hollowed to a depth of 0.5m. Around the west, north west and north east (uphill) sides of the motte there are traces of a ditch averaging 7m wide and up to 0.5m deep. It is believed that the castle mound was once surmounted by an octagonal stone keep and that it was originally built by the Mortimer family. The now ruinous Church of St Giles, the subject of a separate scheduling, stands close by the motte and Old Downton Farm is thought to stand on the site of the medieval manor house, indicating that this was the focus of the medieval agricultural community known as Downton on the Rock. (Scheduling Report)

Octagonal tower, signs of bailey & outer enclosures. It seems that Lords of Richards Castle, prob Mortimers, built here smaller version of their great octagonal keep at Richards Castle with addition of some sort of forebuilding on it, on ground level of very low motte. A stream, bordering site has been dammed to form 1 side of defences. Corner of outer enclosure has large masonry buried in tree roots. 2 old wells on site which has seen lot of activity in past making it difficult to read. I found some loose stone & mortar on poss line of bailey wall about to fall out side of a modern silage pit dug across site, along with 5 frags of C12 & C13 pottery. (Herefordshire SMR ref. Sterling-Brown, 1988)

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 ReferenceSO427734
Latitude52.3563194274902
Longitude-2.84249997138977
Eastings342720
Northings273400
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

Calculate Print

Books

  • Shoesmith, Ron, 2009 (Rev edn.), Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press) p. 105
  • Salter, Mike, 2000, Castles of Herefordshire and Worcestershire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 26
  • Stirling-Brown, R., 1989, Herefordshire Castles (privately published) p. 4
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 205
  • 1981, Herefordshire Countryside Treasures (Hereford and Worcester County Council) p. 2
  • RCHME, 1934, An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire Vol. 3: north-west p. 45 No. 5 online transcription
  • Gould, I. Chalkley, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Herefordshire Vol. 1 p. 226

Journals

  • Sterling Brown, R., 1988, 'Preliminary Results of Castle Survey' Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 50 p. 43
  • 1988, Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 48 p. 14
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 116 p. 71-132
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 112 p. 77-124