Torside Castle, Charlesworth

Has been described as a Rejected Timber Castle (Ringwork)

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameTorside Castle, Charlesworth
Alternative NamesHarrop Moss; Glossop
Historic CountryDerbyshire
Modern AuthorityDerbyshire
1974 AuthorityDerbyshire
Civil ParishCharlesworth

Mound, 265ft by 160ft, which was thought to be a possible castle, but is now believed to be a natural mound. (PastScape)

Torside Castle on Harrop Moor, has a pear-shaped area of about 3/4 acre enclosed by a single bank, but seemingly without a ditch, which would remove it from the hill-fort class. Noted under 'simple enclosure camps'. Scheduled - (under 'camps & settlements'). (Preston; Cox).

This is a natural peat table situated approximately 1600ft. above sea level. There is no evidence of artificial scarping and no surface finds were made. It is surrounded by deep water gullies.

Formerly scheduled monument (DR10) descheduled under MPP (Mon. No. 90873) on 9/11/93.

No obvious signs of human activity - similar to Glossop Low to NW.

Geologically sits on marine bands shale/clay over Kinderscout Grit. (Derbyshire HER)

Gatehouse Comments

Very isolated site of no apparent strategic importance, seems mainly to have been considered an IA hillfort and was once scheduled but descheduled in 1993 - The isolated spot is unlikely to be developed and the main effect of descheduling will be to spare a field archaeologist a long walk to do a site inspection. Presumably this is a glacial feature. The sparse surrounding moorland heather vegetation and the somewhat richer grass on the thicker soil of mound makes this feature particularly prominent on the air photo.

- 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 ReferenceSK076965
Latitude53.4655990600586
Longitude-1.88605999946594
Eastings407650
Northings396550
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Calculate Print

Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 29 (slight)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 110 (possible)
  • Cox, J.C., 1905, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Derbyshire Vol. 1 p. 370-1 (plan) online copy

Journals

  • Hodges, R., 1980, 'Excavations at Camp Green, Hathersage (1976-77) - a Norman ringwork' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 100 p. 32 online copy
  • King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol. 3 p. 90-127
  • Preston, F.L., 1954, 'Hillforts of the Peak' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 74 p. 15 online copy

Other

  • Creighton, O.H., 1998, Castles and Landscapes: An Archaeological Survey of Yorkshire and the East Midlands (PhD Thesis University of Leicester) p. 336-7 online copy