Woodbrook, Kington

Has been described as a Possible Timber Castle (Motte), and also as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry footings remains

NameWoodbrook, Kington
Alternative NamesWoodville
Historic CountryHerefordshire
Modern AuthorityHerefordshire
1974 AuthorityHereford and Worcester
Civil ParishKington Rural

The remains of a possible moated motte and bailey with earthworks at Woodville . The flat top of the mound is some 20m in diameter and rises only 1m above the surrounding ground. Fragments of walling show on the perimeter of the mound as do the foundations of a small rectangular building. The moat, now mainly dry, was fed by a stream from the south, and drained away between retaining banks to the north east. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Isolated from settlement and of no strategic value. May have been a fortified farmstead, an early version of a moated site, rather than castle. Does not seem to be documented and may well have gone out of use at an early date. (Gatehouse thanks Colin Boylett for sharing his view about this site which provoked some reconsideration of comments, although Gatehouse does not share his view as to the site being of C13 date.)

- 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 ReferenceSO304544
Latitude52.1839599609375
Longitude-3.01874995231628
Eastings330440
Northings254450
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Shoesmith, Ron, 2009 (Rev edn.), Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press) p. 192
  • Salter, Mike, 2000, Castles of Herefordshire and Worcestershire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 46
  • Stirling-Brown, R., 1989, Herefordshire Castles (privately published) p. 10
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 208
  • 1981, Herefordshire Countryside Treasures (Hereford and Worcester County Council) p. 17
  • RCHME, 1934, An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire Vol. 3: north-west p. 96 No. 32 online transcription
  • Gould, I. Chalkley, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Herefordshire Vol. 1 p. 227-8

Journals

  • Archaeological Research Section Woolhope NFC, 1999, Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 70 p. 2 (plan)
  • Sterling Brown, R., 1988, 'Preliminary Results of Castle Survey' Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 50 p. 41
  • 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