Castlefacts³

Castle Hill, Hindlip

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

There are uncertain remains

Name	Castle Hill, Hindlip
Alternative Names	Smite Hill; Oldbury; Auld-berry; Coldharbour Farm
Historic Country	Worcestershire
Modern Authority	Worcestershire
1974 Authority	Hereford and Worcester
Civil Parish	Salwarpe

field called Castle Hill, which abuts Smite Hill, from its appearance might be supposed to scarp artificially. It is said that a castle or fort once stood on Castle Hill, and was at length destroyed by a battery placed on Newland Common. A cannon shot was about forty years ago ploughed up somewhere on spot. Heming's "Cartulary" notices a place called Oldbury in the Anglo Saxon boundaries of Smite. It adjoins Castle Hill Field, and is commonly called Auld-berry. (Allies)

Documentary sources indicate that a castle may once have stood here, no physical evidence has been found yet except some stones.

Flat topped Hill with gentle slope to the south, pronounced ditch or holloway to west & steep drop to the north, this latter being much steeper than natural slope, to the west (ie Smith Hill) & therefore possibly might be supposed to scarp artificially; some smallish stone frags (c200cm) in small localised scatters on the northern scarp (JPR. 1979. Site visit. SMR file).

Shape digitised from the field pattern on the 1813 Ordnance Survey surveyor's drawing (Crowther, S.. 2009. Georeferenced layer of the 1811-1818 2" Ordnance Survey Surveyors' Drawings). (Worcestershire and Worcester City HER)

Gatehouse Comments

Allies description, and reference to an C11 mention of an 'oldbury', suggests a prehistoric enclosure, probably fairly slight (several other Iron Age or Romano British enclosures are recorded in the area). Within this a house or structure, probably not in anyway defensive, may have existed and may have been demolished in the C17. Allies seems to be suggesting that this may have been the site of a Roman mansio. Certainly it may be that the 'oldbury' was a Romano-British site, with some masonry, and an enclosing, possibly earlier, ditch. Further investigation, probably including excavation, would be need but seems most unlikely as the site of a medieval castle of any type.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

116057

County Historic Environment Record

www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWR1033&resourceID=1035

OS Map Grid Reference	SO900592
Latitude	52.2285385131836
Longitude	-2.14762997627258
Eastings	390000
Northings	259200